The Tale of Two Wolves
by Zenkx
Summary: It is said that inside every person, there are two wolves- a white wolf and a black wolf. The white wolf represents the good in man, and the black wolf represents their evils. The two wolves fight each other every day... inside every one... including Vaas. (Slightly AU-ish) [Rated M due to foul language, extreme violence and sex) [Vaas/OC]
1. Authoress' Introduction

**AUTHORESS' NOTES:**

**God damn it, I didn't know you could frickin' hate **_**and**_** love someone at the same time.**

**I'm talking about you, Michael Mando!**

**So… a Vaas fanfic…**

**Why?**

**Because I am frickin' obsessed with Micheal Mando and Vaas right now. And I hate it and love it at the same time.**

**Took me a while to get this done… I had to think of a lot of crazy stuff for this to work, you know. **

**Is it just me or are my fanfics getting longer…? *looks down at FF site* Nah… XD**

**By the way, sorry but I had to remove some characters here like Dennis. I don't know... he sorta messed up with my plot so I didn't include him. Sorry XD**

**Events in this fanfiction was set without the occurances of the Far Cry Experience or Far Cry 3 (hence, no Jason Brody or friends), making it slightly AU.**

**Anyway, the characters in this fanfic (particularly Vaas, Hoyt and Citra) do not belong to me, but to the awesome people of UbiSoft.**

**I love/hate you, Micheal Mando! XD**


	2. Chapter 1: The Librarian

Something didn't feel right…

The girl looked nervously at the island on the horizon, her left hand clinging on to the ship's railing, the other clutching a tablet computer. She did her research as best as she could, and there have been conflicting information about the Rook Islands. One said it was an uninhabited group of islands perfect for cruises and beach vacations. However, there was also another information she read that said that ships have been disappearing hear the island's seas.

"Hey! Alex!"

The girl turned around, looking for the voice, her Caribbean blue eyes meeting to the gaze of a large, muscled, grizzled man, wearing a bullet proof vest, black pants and a bandanna. He was chugging on a beer, his pistol strapped to his leg. He grinned at her, and she couldn't help but grin back.

"Hi, Kidd. I guess you're really enjoying the free beer, eh?"

The older man guffawed as he stood beside the lithe woman, crushing the beer can on his massive fist, before throwing it out into the sea, which earned a scowl from the young woman. She frowned up at him, which made him stop laughing. "Oh, right… sorry. Reflex."

The girl shook her head, making her long, wavy, silver-blonde hair float against the sea breeze. "Right."

"Aw, don't be like that, kid. You're too uptight." The man, named Kidd Humphrey, said, his dark brown eyes filled with mirth. "You know, maybe if you relax once in a while, you wouldn't be so uptight. Chill! Grab a beer! Go on a date! Maybe if you let some guy slip into your panties once in a while…"

The woman laughed, "My panties are none of your business, Kidd. Besides, I'm too busy."

Kidd scoffed, "Doing what? Research? Jesus, girl… if you spend way too much behind the books, I wouldn't be surprised to see you turning into a paper."

Alex huffed and turned to look up to the guy. Kidd was rather tall and bulky despite his fifty eight years of age, reaching up to past 6 feet, compared to Alex's mere 5 feet and 5 inches and her slim frame. "Alright, Kidd… you already know about the men I date. Tell me the common thing about them."

"They're all pussies." Kidd said on reflex, making her laugh, "But yeah, I guess I see your point. You need someone strong… powerful… aggressive."

"And where do you find men like that? Aside from that biker's bar you oh-so-frequently visit?" She said, smirking at him.

"Ahh hell no, woman! I'm not letting them boys get to you!" Kidd said, "Those boys are all kinds of wrong in so many levels."

"And there you go." Alex said, waving a hand carelessly, "The reason I don't date. So many men are so wrong for me."

"Yeah… I guess you're right." Kidd said as he gazed out the ocean with her, "Anyway, I'm actually surprised they hired you."

At this, Alex smiled sweetly at him, "That's because I'm a librarian. The people who hired me know very little about the island, the history of the treasure we're searching for, and the islands' natives… so, they called me."

"But… you've never been here before, right?" Kidd said, smirking at her.

Alex blinked, "Er… yeah, but I can speak Bahasa Indonesia, so I guess it'll help when we come across the natives."

"Hmm." Kidd hummed, before straightening up, "But you know, something doesn't feel right."

"What do you mean?"

"I can feel it in my gut." Kidd said seriously, patting his massive beer belly, making her stifle a giggle, "There's something… wrong about these islands, you know? Maybe I just don't travel that much, but still… something feels really creepy about these… Rook Islands."

The woman beside him sighed, "Kidd, honestly? Don't talk like that. You're going to make me nervous."

The elderly man guffawed and ruffled Alex's hair, causing it to become a mess on top of her pony tail. She shot him an annoyed look, "Sorry about that, kiddo. Don't worry; I'll be right here if anyone fucks you up." He winked at her, making her smile, before her walkie-talkie sounded.

"Ms. Steele, where are you?"

Alex sighed at the English-accented voice that drifted from the radio at her waist. She looked up at Kidd, who merely shook his head, as she took the radio and spoke, "I'm up here at the roof, sir."

"I know you're enjoying the view, but our guest would like to speak with you. Please come downstairs." The man on the other line, Nigel Archer, the head honcho for the expedition, said. Alex rolled her eyes.

Nigel was a self-proclaimed researcher and treasure hunter, and the person who hired her from a local library in London since she had knowledge of the Indonesian language. Tall but thin, with sharp, blue eyes, a pointy nose, and a thin mouth, he reminded Alex of a creepy human version of Nosferatu. He had researched about Rook Islands, hearing about a ship that had treasure called the _Chaoyang_. Although it said in the books that the ship disappeared, Nigel believes that he could still find it. He hired her as his research assistant, along with Kidd as his personal bodyguard.

Personally, Alex disliked the man, particularly since his ice cold blue eyes seemed to follow her everywhere, flirting with her even though she didn't like it... even though she had done her best to look as unattractive as possible. She had donned a long sleeved cardigan and shirt, knee-high boots, and a long skirt despite the tropical heat to keep the man's attention from her. Although she found comfort at the fact that Kidd is with her, the man's gaze really bothered her.

"Alright, sir. I'll be on my way down." Alex said, sighing again before turning to Kidd. "That man creeps the hell out of me."

"You and me both, kid." Kidd said before nodding seriously at her, "If you need me, holler as hard as you can, eh?"

She nodded and headed back down the stairs towards the cabin, where Nigel and his guest, a treasure hunter named Gunther Miles, stayed. Gunther looks and acts like a typical millionaire. He was tall, like Niles, but he was meatier because of his beer gut. He had black hair that was slightly balding at the top, a button nose and lips that looked too big on his face. His gray eyes were always bloodshut, with sagging eyebags underneath it from his late nights at a casino. Just like Niles, Alex didn't like the treasure hunter, as the man seemed obsessed with money. He owned the yacht they were in, paid for all their expenditures, since the promise of wealth from the _Chaoyang_ was too good to ignore. Gunther also had a really nasty habit of drinking from a gold-plated flask in his pocket, making him smell constantly like brandy.

Alex huffed before knocking gently on the cabin door. She could hear the two men laughing inside, with Nigel shouting 'Come in!' when she knocked. She turned the handle and opened the door.


	3. Chapter 2: Assault

Immediately the scent of Cuban cigars and liquor greeted her, and she covered her nose with her sleeve, squinting against the smoke. The two men were lounging at the couch telling jokes, smoking and drinking, the map of their expedition in front of them.

"Ahh! Alex! There you are!" Nigel cried out, and Alex seethed internally at his use of her nickname. "Gunther here had some questions about our little expedition here. I was hoping you'd like to enlighten him."

She posted a fake smile as she went forward, "Certainly, Mr. Miles. What would you like to know?"

"Sit here in front of us, Alex." Nigel said, and Alex walked towards the seat in front of the table, eying the map.

"So… Ms. Steele." Gunther said, leaning forward and grinning at her. The lecherous grin made her shiver a bit. "Tell us about the Rakyats… the locals inhabiting the island."

"Very little is known about the Rakyats, Mr. Miles." Alex said, watching the two men warily, "They tend to stay in this island rather than travel the world. They are deeply devoted to their tribes and to their religion. Although they speak Bahasa Indonesia, they have come to learn English as well as some other languages."

"Such as?" Gunther asked, leaning towards her. Nigel mirrored his friend's action and leaned as well, and Alex smelled the scent of liquor in both their breaths. She leaned back from the stench.

"Some of them have knowledge of Japanese, and some Spanish." Alex said, her eyes darting from one man to the other, "I… I believe it is because of the invasion of several nationalities on the island… which included the Japanese during World War 2, Mexican-Americans and… the British."

Nigel chuckled, and Gunther continued to grin at her, "Really? Well then… tell me something else, Ms. Steele."

"And what would that be, Mr. Miles?" Alex said, looking at the door nervously.

Gunther laughed, "When was the last time you had fun?"

Alex blinked, before Gunther lunged forward to grab her arm. She shrieked and pushed her chair backward, making it topple to the floor a split second before he got her. She scrambled off the chair and headed for the door, but Nigel blocked it before she could reach the knob.

She took a step back as the two men had started walking towards her. She swallowed, "Let me out."

"We will, Alex, don't worry." Nigel said, grinning drunkenly at her, as he and Gunther walked slowly towards her… stalking her with bloodshot, drunken eyes, "Just… have a drink with us for a while."

"No, I don't think I would." She said, backing up some more, her eyes darting around the room, looking for an escape, but Nigel had the door guarded, and the cabin was too cramped, "You've had way too much to drink already. I suggest you sleep it off."

"Then… how about helping us get sleepy eh?" Gunther said, before lunging at her again, catching her shoulders, his grip painful. She pushed at him, but his grasp was too strong. Finally, she reared her leg back, and kneed his stomach, making him yell in pain.

Gunther stumbled back, grunting in pain and Alex took the moment of weakness to run to the door, but Nigel grabbed her by the hair, making her whimper in pain.

"Told you she's a spitfire, eh, Gunther?!" Nigel laughed as he pulled harder at her hair, making her cry out, and she raised her fist to hit him, but he merely captured her wrists. Gunther grunted and straightened, glaring murderously at her.

"Stupid little bitch!" Gunther explained, rearing his fist back and punching her in the face, making her fall to the floor, she whimpered as she touched her eye.

"Oi!" Nigel shouted, pushing Gunther back, "You're not to leave a mark on her! I like my women bruise free, wanker!"

Alex looked up at the two men as they argued, and realized it was her chance. Gathering up all the air she could, she shouted with all her might.

"HELP ME, KIDD!"


	4. Chapter 3: To the Rescue

"ALEX!"

The door flung open, its lock splintering into pieces as Kidd's heavy boot kicked the door open, his heavy frame filling the door. The two men looked up in fear at the man, and Kidd looked down at her. He blinked at the sight of her holding on to her eye, which was turning red. The rage on his face made his already scary appearance more intimidating, and he bellowed, "WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU IDIOTS DOIN' TO HER?!"

The two men cowered at him, and Kidd used their distraction to grab her gently, and pulling her to his side. Nigel was about to protest, but Kidd merely grabbed his collar, lifting up the man off the floor, his legs dangling uselessly.

"You're drunk, man." Kidd seethed, and Alex almost giggled at the sight of Nigel cowering, "Sleep it off."

"Hey…!" Gunther exclaimed, but Kidd stared him down with furious brown eyes.

"SLEEP. IT. OFF." Kidd's voice was low, but the anger in them was apparent. Gunther stopped, and Kidd dropped Nigel to the floor before closing the door. He took Alex's arm gently and pushed her away from the cabin, towards the back area of the boat where he had kept his things. He moved rather quickly, and she knew he was furious.

"Thank you, Kidd." Alex said, sighing in relief, as the elderly man looked over at her face, before turning to his bag.

"You can thank me later, woman." Kidd said as he rummaged his back, grabbing what looked like a machete in a sheath, three pistols, an AK, a sniper rifle, some magazines for the guns, and a small bag. He stuffed it into a much larger bag, leaving out the pistols and the machete.

Alex blinked at the sight of the guns, and she realized that his quick movement wasn't anger. "Kidd, what's wrong?"

Kidd busied himself by strapping a belt with two holsters on his waist, and the machete on his back. He hoisted the bag into his back before looking at her, "Pirates. Lots of them."

Her breath came out in a huff of fear, and Kidd propelled her towards the side of the boat. "We're going to have to jump, you hear?" Kidd was telling her, "Swim towards that the other side of the shore, there… by the rocks. Stay away from the men."

Kidd pointed towards the shore of the beach, and Alex blinked. Men, wearing red shirts and bandanas and pants, stood by the shore, carrying guns like Kidd. She gasped in fear, "Kidd-!"

"I'll be right with you, kiddo." Kidd told her, lifting her up in his arms, "Stay as long as you can underwater, and swim deep! I'll be right behind you."

Alex nodded weakly, and looked up at Kidd's brown eyes. The older man smiled gently down at her, trying to reassure her. "Don't worry, kid. I won't let you down."

She wasn't able to shriek, taking a deep breath as Kidd threw her off the boat, and she kicked hard, doing her best to swim away from the boat, deeper into the water. She looked around as swam hoping that there weren't any sharks around. She heard a muffled splash, and soon enough, Kidd's large frame shadowed over her. She looked up, seeing the man, and he pointed for her to follow.

A few seconds later, they heard the muffled sounds of jet skis and gunfire, and Alex swam hard with Kidd away from the boat. Her lungs were aching, but she continued.

She ended up getting slightly dizzy, and she surfaced, gasping for air. Kidd came up beside her, also gasping, but he took her arm. "Come on, deep breath, kid. We're almost there."

"Okay… okay…" Alex said as she looked back at the boat. The pirates had gunned it down, and from the fires that raged on it, it looked like they blew it up to. The men who had jet skis were circling around it, wearing red colors, as they boarded the boat and started looking around despite the fire. Gunther was their pilot for the boat, so there were only the four them. She wondered if the pirates had gotten to them.

And she hoped that they would kill Nigel and Gunther for her.


	5. Chapter 4: Sanctuary

By the time Kidd had helped her off the beach and into the forest, the pirates were too busy with their boat. They had crouched down low against the foliage, watching the men, before Kidd finally pulled her away and into the forest.

They found a cave amidst a rock face, and Alex was grateful to nature for providing them with shelter. She was wet and cold, her hands shaking a bit, as the sun was slowly coming down from the horizon. Kidd had braved the outdoors again, bringing tinder and wood, and something that he had stuffed into his small bag.

"See if you can start up a fire, Alex." Kidd said, his voice a little gentle, but still on alert. She nodded numbly as he gave her the wood and tinder, as well his lighter. He had kept it as dry as possible, along with his cigarettes, so it was easy for her to make a fire. Once she got a good fire starting, she plopped down beside it and held out her hands to make them warm, as Kidd settled in front of her and opened a bag.

She looked up just as Kidd pulled out a small boa constrictor out of the small bag, and her eyes widened at the sight of it. "Kidd? What are you doing?"

Kidd looked up at her, "What? Aren't you hungry? I don't know about you, but when I saw those pirates, I got the urge to eat. Gets rid of the stress, you know?" The older man laughed, but at Alex's raised eyebrow, he sighed heavily and leaned over to her. "Listen here, Alex… and you better listen good, because I am not going to say this again."

Alex looked at her friend. She rarely saw him this serious. Kidd was laid back, and lazy, and he never took stuff seriously. The only time she had ever seen him so serious was when he…

_No… I shouldn't think about that._

She shook herself mentally and looked up at Kidd, "Okay… I'm listening, Kidd."

"These men, sweetheart… these men are dangerous." Kidd said seriously, and Alex gulped a little, "I don't know what's the business of these men are, but it's bad. Could be drugs. Could be humans. No one in their right mind would stay in a God-forsaken place unless the shit they do is against the law. You got to be brave. You got to show these bastards that you're not afraid. They can sense the fear in you. And they'll kill you when they see it." He leaned back a little and pointed a thumb outside of their cave. "That little display outside is just a teaser, you know? I bet whatever these bastards are, they can do a much worse."

Alex nodded a little, and hugged her knees, "Is that… speaking from experience, Kidd?"

The older man smiled gently, "A little. The shit I've seen, sweetheart… could curl your toes and give you nightmares." His smile faded a little, "So I'm going' to tell you this now, Alex. If you want to survive… if you want to live… you have to live like them. Act like them. Fight like them. Even…" At this Kidd sighed again, "Even kill like them."

A shiver passed down Alex's back, and she looked up at the man fearfully. "Kidd… I can't-"

"Shh… shh, I know kiddo." Kidd said, moving away from his seat to come nearer to her, and he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "But you have to do it. If they get you… and I can't get to you… you have to fight to live. You understand?"

"And what if they kill me, even if I try to be brave?" Alex said, her voice barely a whisper, "What then?"

Kidd shrugged, "Then you're dead. As simple as that. You lived a good life. If it's your time, it's your time. You know?" The elder man grinned down at her, ruffling her hair, making her smile a little. He dragged the big bag he had, and took out their contents. "Here, stand up so I can strap these on you."

She nodded and stood up, and when Kidd looked up, he frowned, "A long skirt? Woman, are you crazy?!"

Alex rolled her eyes, "I was trying to be unattractive. I had a gut feeling that Nigel and Gunther are not quite the gentlemen I thought they were… and they weren't."

Kidd chuckled, "True enough. Here…" He took a pair of cargo pants in his bag and looked at it. It was rather big, since it had belonged to him, but he merely took a knife and cut it, before giving it her. She put them on under her skirt, making the pants reach her calves, but the pockets could hold various items. She tied up a leather belt around it so it wouldn't slip down her waist, threw the skirt into his bag, and looked at him, and he nodded approvingly at her boots and shirt.

"Okay… I'm going to arm you up, kid." He said, pulling out his items from his bag, which included a couple of handguns, an UZI, a hunting knife in a sheath, a switch blade and a medicine kit. Kidd strapped the gun's holsters to her hips, and he put some magazines for her guns and the medi-kit into her pockets. He looked at the two blades and gave it to her, "Here… you pick a place to put them in."

Alex nodded and tucked the hunting knife into her boot, and the switch blade in her bra between her breasts. She looked up and saw Kidd blinking… before laughing hard at her. "Nice hiding place, woman."

She grinned before shrugging, "Yeah well, I put a lot of stuff in there. Might as well be something as useful as a knife."

Kidd laughed again, "Hahaha. Good thinking, kid. Anyway, about the snake." At this he stood up and went back to the small bag that contained the snake carcass, lifting it up and taking his hunting knife. Alex cringed a little as he cut off its head and started gutting it.

"I'm actually pretty amazed you could do that, Kidd." She said as the man pulled on the snake, stripping off its scaly skin clean off his body.

"You know my story more than anyone, Alex." Kidd said as he threw the snake's guts into the fire, before giving her a thin stick, "Carve the end into a point. We're going to barbeque this fucker."

Alex huffed as she unsheathed the knife in her boot, before whittling away at the end of the stick, "Brings back memories to you, huh?"

Kidd chuckled, "Hell, yeah! Eating snakes… it isn't half bad." He grinned at her as he pointed at the now cleanly gutted snake, "I'm telling you, girl. This fucker right here? Taste like chicken."

She blinked before laughing, "Just without the salt and spices, I think."

"You got to eat to survive, Alex." Kidd said as he laid out the snake on his bag to keep it clean, "I remember this one time… we passed by this really nice farm field…"

Alex and Kidd laughed throughout the night, roasting the snake as the man told stories about the weird stuff he ate during his lifetime, which included fried locusts, barbequed snakes, and something called a _balut_ egg. She had to admit, during their dinner, that the snake he cooked really did taste like chicken. She ate a few bites… only one fourth of the snake, as Kidd devoured the rest of it.

"See I told you, didn't I?" Kidd said, chuckling, before throwing the stick and the snake bones into the fire.

She chuckled, "Yeah. Sure it was. Remind me cook it with curry next time." Kidd laughed as she grinned, before a yawn escaped from her.

Kidd looked at her kindly, "Well, that's a sign, kid. Get some rest. I'll stay and do the first watch." And he stood up, taking the AK with him, before looking out to the mouth of the cave.

She nodded and grabbed her old skirt, before tearing it up and making a make-shift blanket. She lied down on the ground, facing away from the fire and into the darkness inside of the cave. She stared at nothing for a while, before sighing, "Kidd?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think we can ever get back home?"

"I don't know, kid." She heard Kidd sigh, "I never really had much of a life back home, you know? Nothing stirs me up… everything bores me to death… you know what I mean?"

"Hmm…" She hummed, "Sometimes… I feel that way, too." She sighed heavily before closing her eyes half-way. She was tired and sleepy, and very thirsty. As her consciousness faded, she thought she saw a pair of bright green eyes in the darkness, before sleep finally took her.


	6. Chapter 5: Who Let The Dogs Out

"Alex… Alex, get up now…"

Alex opened her eyes, seeing nothing. It was pitch black, but a massive hand was shaking her awake. It took only a second for her to realize the urgency in Kidd's voice. "Kidd?"

"Get up, girl." Kidd whispered urgently, pulling her up to her feet. She felt for her pistols and her UZI, as Kidd seemed to drag her into the cave. "We got to move. The pirates are tracking us."

"Tracking us?" Alex whispered back as she clung on to his arm, and he guided her, "They have dogs?!"

"Seems like it." Kidd's voice sounded angry as they walked quietly, "They probably got our scent from the boat. Come on, slow and steady."

"Okay… okay…" Alex whispered back, and when they got in deeper into the cave, Kidd brought out a couple of flashlights. He gave her the bigger one, before attaching another to the tip of his rifle. Just then, the sound of barking echoed into the cave, and Kidd cursed. "Fuck! They found us! Run, woman!"

Alex raised the flashlight and ran, hearing Kidd's heavy footsteps behind her. The flashlight did very little to see inside the cave, but she continued to run, making sure not to trip or hit her head. Kidd was panting as he ran behind her as the growls and barks got louder. He turned around just as one of the dogs… a pit bull… jumped up. He shot at it with his AK, hitting it on the head, and the beast fell to the ground with a thump.

"You know, I'm usually against animal cruelty…" Alex shouted as they ran, "But under the circumstance, kill those fuckers, Kidd!"

The older man laughed out loud behind her, "Don't make me laugh, woman! I can hardly breathe because of all this running…. AARRGGHH!"

"KIDD?!"

Alex turned around to see Kidd struggling against a pit bull, the animal biting his arm. She quickly grabbed her knife and lunged at the animal, grabbing it around the neck with her arm before stabbing it repeatedly on the back of the neck. The dog let go of Kidd with a whine, and the older man grunted as he pushed the dead beast off and cradled his arm.

"Come on, Kidd!" Alex said as she pulled his shirt, and he harrumphed as he ran with her again. Alex looked up to see a curtain of vines ahead of them, "I see an exit! Let's go!"

Kidd and Alex ran and burst through the vines, and the cave walls around them changed into greenery as they entered the jungle again. They were tired and panting, but they continued to run.

"Do you think we've lost them?!" Alex yelled as she continued to run. Her legs were burning up, and her chest was beginning to hurt. She could hear Kidd wheezing behind her.

"I don't know. I can't hear the dogs anymore." Kidd said, coughing a little, "I think they're gone. But knowing these fuckers… they got plenty of tricks up their sleeves… HEY!"

Alex looked behind her to see that Kidd had disappeared, and she looked up to see him hanging upside down on a tree, a noose tied firmly around his ankle. Seeing a muscled, 6 footer dangling at the end of the rope, flailing his arms and looking down at her… a laugh escaped her lips, making her choke a bit, before she started laughing. "Seriously?! You tripped a noose trap?!"

"Hardy-har-har, Alex." Kidd said, as he tried to bend to reach his leg, "Get me down from here, woman. It should be tied to a tree or something. Cut it off so it could drop me."

Alex giggled a bit before looking up, using the flashlight to see the rope. She followed the taut line with her eyes, before seeing tied to a tree a meter away from him. "Found it, hang on."

Kidd snarled, "Literally hanging on, woman. Just cut the damn thing."

She scoffed as she pushed back the shrubs heading to the tree, "I hope to God you'd drop on your head when I cut this." She neared the tree and lifted the pistol she had to shoot the rope, "Get ready, Kidd!"

"I can't let you do that, _hermana_."

Alex gasped and turned around, seeing a man in front of her. He wore dark green pants, and red sleeveless shirt, with a red cloth wrapped around a muscled arm. White bandages wrapped around his wrist and fingers, stained with mud, oil and what seemed to be blood. He had a square jaw, a slightly hooked nose, thick eyebrows and dark rimmed, light green… almost yellowish eyes. The sides of his head were shaven, with only a Mohawk at the top of his head. A nasty looking scar marred him from the left eyebrow to the top of his head.

She only had a second to gasp at the man, before pain exploded from the back of her head, and everything went black.


	7. Chapter 6: The Pirate

"HEY, _PERRA_! WAKE UP!"

Alex jolted awake, before a wave of dizziness made her close her eyes again. She lifted her arm to touch her face, only to realize she couldn't move. She looked up to see her wrists were tied to a bamboo cage, and that a tape was covering her mouth. She looked around to see Kidd on the other side of her in the cage. He was tied up and gagged, dried blood sticking to his arm where the pit bull had bitten him, and was looking worriedly at her, before tilting his head left.

She looked up to see that the Mohawked man she had seen was standing by their cage, grinning at her. "Good morning, _se__ñ__orita_!" The man said, crouching down low beside her outside of the cage, "Welcome to my island, eh?"

The man chuckled as he Indian-sat beside her, the bamboo cage separating them. "You know, I found a couple of _hermanos_ on a boat this morning…"

Alex blinked. _So, Nigel and Gunther are alive_. She shook herself mentally at the disappointing thought of them still existing.

"Rich fellas, aren't they?" The man said, pulling out something from his back pocket, "Nigel Archer and Gunther Miles, wasn't it? Oh yeah, I remember Miles. He was that rich cowboy drilling _petrolio_ in the Middle East, right? And Archer, he was that treasure hunting man from TV before, hmm? Right?"

He was looking at Alex, as if expecting her to answer, and she looked at Kidd. The older man nodded slightly, as if telling her to answer him, and she looked back at the Mohawked man. She nodded slightly.

The man smiled, "But you two… I don't know who you are." He laughed suddenly, "I thought those two were honeymooning, you know? Like… a couple of gay boys on a fucking cruise, yeah? It didn't help when I saw your stuff, _hermana_."

"So… let's see… who are you two, huh?" The man lifted a couple cards, and she realized that he was looking at their IDs. Aside from blowing up their ship, it seemed like they raided it, too. "Kiddleston Humphrey… Semper Fidelis Protection Agency and…" He whistled, "Alexandria Steele? Librarian?" He looked down at her in disbelief and laughed, "What the fuck… is a librarian doing out here in these parts, huh?"

Alex huffed, annoyed that the man was expecting her to answer when she was bound in the mouth with tape. The man must've understood what her annoyed look was for, so he reached over and yanked the tape away, causing her to wince in pain. The man threw away the tape and looked at her expectantly.

"We… we were hired by Mr. Archer." She said, stopping herself from quivering. _You got to be brave._ Kidd's words rang in her ear; _you got to show these bastards that you're not afraid._

"Hired you for what exactly, _hermana_?" The man said.

"He's hunting for the _Chaoyang_." Alex answered back, "Mr. Miles funded the expenses. They're looking for treasure. Niles researched about the Chaoyang and its treasure so he hired us to find it."

At this, the man scoffed, "And what's a fucking librarian like you know about it?"

"I helped research about it… its location, its history, what it contains." She said, "He hired me because I was his research assistant and because I knew Bahasa Indonesia and Spanish."

The man grinned at her before leaning over, "Well, they're a bunch of fuckers to think they could steal stuff on my island." He looked over to Kidd, "And this old fucker? He's supposed to be protecting them, right?"

"He was." She seethed, "He is a friend of mine… I wouldn't go on this trip until they hired him." She thought about the man's agenda and blinked, "He was a former soldier. He's really great with a gun. He could shoot anyone without batting an eye… given the right amount of money."

Kidd looked up at her, his eyes a little shocked, but the man looked at him, and stood up from his seat on the ground. He walked over to Kidd's part of the cage… stalking almost, before reaching inside and ripping the tape off Kidd's mouth. "Fuck…" Kidd muttered before looking up at the man.

"So, _pendejo_… you an old gun, huh?" The Mohawked man said, bending close to Kidd, "What can you do? You military?"

"Former." Kidd answered back, before grinning, "Got sick of the system, you know? Lots of fuckers in this world, and they can't even pay us enough. We kill all these damn insurgents, criminals and fucking terrorists, and for what?" He scoffed before looking at Alex, "I do my shit for money. If you pay me enough, I can put a bullet into anyone's skull."

"Really?" The man seemed genuinely interested in Kidd, "What can you shoot, fucker?"

At this, Kidd laughed out loud before grinning at the man, "_Hermano_, if it's got ammunition or a blade, I can fucking use it, believe me. Killed enough to make the Devil come get me himself when I die."

"Interesting…" The man said, looking at him, before straightening up and walking back to Alex's side, "But… I run a business here, you see. I get people like you to come to my island and I ransom their asses for money before my boss ships them." He bent over to Alex again, "Give me one good reason not to ransom you too."

Alex scoffed, "Because you won't get anything for us. Kidd and I… we don't have family."

The man blinked, and Alex thought she saw a flicker of sadness in his eyes, before it was replaced again by a cold look. "Okay… okay… I get it." The man huffed, "So technically… you two… are worthless."

The man stood up and pulled out a pistol from his belt, aiming the barrel at her head, and Alex blinked in fear. She looked at Kidd as he looked at the gun in alarm, "No!"

"You talking to me, fucker?!" The man said as he pointed the gun at Kidd, "Fucker, you talking to me?!"

"We're not worthless." Kidd said, "You want another man to fuck shit up with you? I'm your man, right here. Hell, I would even consider it an honor to shoot these rich fuckers for you."

"Really now?" The man said, a little suspicious, "You would work for me? A former military man?"

"Note on the term 'former'." Kidd said, grinning up at the man, "If you want me to be a pirate, I'll be one for you."

The man looked down at him, as if thinking about something, "If you fuck up, I'll kill you myself, _comprende_?"

"Loud and clear, man." Kidd looked over to Alex, "You might want to keep the lady too, you know. She's got access to billions of money."

The man scoffed and looked at Alex, who sat mutely at the other side of the cage, "The fuck can she do? She's a fucking librarian."

"She's a computer genius… and she has access to both Nigel and Gunther's bank accounts." Kidd grinned over at her, and she remembered. Nigel trusted her immensely to the point that he had given her clearance to open his accounts when Gunther was giving them money for the expedition. And Gunther, being the lazy man that he was, had once allowed her to transfer some money from his account to Nigel's.

"This true, _hermana_?" The man said, crouching over to her, "You can open both their accounts?"

"I can open Nigel's… but I don't know if Gunther's passwords are still the same. Hopefully, I can still hack it." Alex said truthfully.

"And how much is in Mr. Archer's account?"

Alex swallowed, "15 mil… probably more. The last time I checked the account was before we left. Gunther's got millions too, but I can't remember exactly how much."

At the mention of Nigel's money, the man's eyes grew wide. "That's good… I like that… because I like expensive things…."

"VAAS!"

The man turned around away from their cage as one of his men came forward. Alex blinked, _Vaas, _she thought, _his name is Vaas._

"WHAT?!" The Mohawked man… Vaas, said.

"The boss is looking for you." The man said, with a slightly Spanish accent, "He said you should take care of the rejects."

"Alright! Alright! I'll be right there, okay?!" Vaas shouted before waving a hand in dismissal. "Fuck off!"

The other man ran off as Vaas stood up and grinned down at them, "Tell you what; you two stay here, okay? Don't try to fuck this up and escape, yeah? Or else I'll shoot you…" he clicked his tongue once, pantomiming a gun on his temple, "Through the skull. And I'll fucking shoot you, over and over and over again until there is nothing left of you." He opened his arms and started walking backwards, "You two… we're going to have a bit of fun, yeah? I got some business to attend to for a bit, so I'll see you around, okay? Bye-bye… ta-ta…"

The man walked off into what looked like a hut, and Alex sighed in relief before looking at Kidd, "We are soooo fucked, old man."

"Yeah, I know." Kidd said, leaning his head back and closing his eyes, "Good thing you thought about my military background."

"And good thing you thought of the accounts of those two fuckers." Alex said, chuckling a bit, "I guess the man's really obsessed with money." She sighed, "What do you think, Kidd? Think we could escape?"

Kidd turned his head and looked around, "Well… from what I could see, kiddo… we're pretty much fucked." He tilted his head up, "I see guard towers, some shanties and lots of soldiers with guns… big guns." He shrugged despite his bonds, "If it were just me, I could. But sweetheart, with you at my side, we're going' to have a problem." He nodded at her, "If everything works here, you'd best stay close to me, you hear?"

Alex looked at him, "Why? Aside from gun-toting pirates, what else am I supposed to be worried about?"

"Lots." Kidd said, "There's the forest… God knows what kind of shit in there. And these pirates… they're fricking animals. Saw a girl getting gang raped while you were knocked out."

She blinked and shivered in fear, "You… is it going to…"

He looked at her and nodded, "They're going to get to you… even if you don't try… even if you don't want to. These guys… they are just as pussy-wanting' as any hot-blooded man, and at this rate, they aren't picky." He mentioned to the direction of where Vaas went to. "That kid, Vaas… it sounds like he's head honcho around here. Do your best to be under his good graces. If you can't stay close to me, stay close to him, you hear?"

Alex nodded a little, "O… okay."

Kidd looked at her, "Good." Suddenly, his lips lifted up to a smirk, "You know, kid… I got a good feeling about you. You're going to survive this. He isn't going to kill you, I'm sure of it."

Alex gave him a small smile, "I hope you're right, Kidd." She looked up at the place where Vaas went, and she couldn't help but sigh, "I hope you're right."


	8. Chapter 7: Unexpected

The next morning, Alex woke up to the sound of their cage opening, and she looked up to see a man… probably one of Vaas' pirates, coming up to bring them each a cup of what looked like rice. At the sight of it, her stomach rumbled, since the last thing she ate was Kidd's roasted snake. The pirate settled the food down on the ground before coming out and locking the cage again, after which he cut off the ropes that held their wrist from outside of the cage. She grunted in pain as blood was finally able to circulate down her arm, and she rubbed her wrist.

Kidd, in the meantime, didn't seem too bothered about the ropes, and attacked his food with gusto as he sat cross-legged on the floor. "Eat up, peaches. You need your energy."

She nodded and started eating, watching the men around the camp… cleaning their weapons, walking around with provision of food (for other captives, it seems)… basically just going around minding their business. She wondered how much money it took him to give all these men the salary they would ask for, and then she thought about how much Vaas actually asks for each prisoner…

"Good morning, _hermana_!"

Alex nearly jumped when Vaas' voice shouted behind her, and she turned to see the pirate grinning at her. She merely scowled at him as he stood up and walked around her cage, sitting beside her again with the bamboo separating them. He plopped down, his pistol loose in one hand, before scratching the side of his head with a scar.

"You know _hermana_… I found a lot of things about you last night." Vaas started, before reaching behind him and, to her surprise, brought out her tablet computer. "You really very organized eh? Looking at all this…" He waved his pistol over the tablet, "All of that _pendejos_ meetings set up, expenses and all this shit… he leaves you to take care of it, no?"

She nodded slightly, "Yes, he does."

"Okay." The pirate said simply, before glaring at her, "My boss… he wants to see you, right? But try to run… try to fucking run, _hermana_… and I shoot you." He clicked his tongue again and pointed her head, "Just like that huh?"

"I understand." Alex said, looking up at him, "I won't run."

The pirate scowled at her before standing up, "Okay." He called over a soldier of his that brought out a couple of chains and shackles. He looked over to Kidd, "Hey, you…" Vaas whistled, like he was calling a dog, "Old fucker. Get up, you're coming along."

Kidd rolled his eyes, "Whoop-de-fucking-doo."

Suddenly, Vaas flared up, "What did you say, fucker?!" He extended his arm and pointed the gun at Kidd, "Don't you fucking mess with me, fucker, huh? This is my fucking island and nobody… NOBODY MAKES FUN OF ME, HUH?! You BETTER be fucking grateful that I'm letting you come along, because if it weren't for me, you'd be dead! SO SHUT! THE FUCK! UP!"

Kidd merely glared at him, and Alex's heart jumped to her throat as Vaas unlocked the cage and charged at him as the older man merely looked down. Kidd was way taller than Vaas, and yet the pirate didn't seem to be fazed by his immense height as he pointed the gun at Kidd's heart.

"Or maybe I should kill you right now huh?" Vaas whispered vehemently at Kidd, "You are old, and you are FUCKING useless. Why would I need an old fucking _pendejo_ like you, eh?"

"ENOUGH!"

At this, Kidd and Vaas looked over at Alex, the other looking alarmed at her, while the pirate glared at her angrily. Alex stood stock still as Vaas charged at her, his arms reaching out and his hand wrapping around her throat. His hand tightened a bit, and Alex growled a little at the pain, but she kept her hands at her side, balling into fists. Vaas brought his face closer to her, his breath hot against her cheek as he brought his pistol up against her temple. He was intimidating her, she knew it, as he sandwiched her between his body and the bamboo cage. He was warm… by the Gods, he was warm… and she felt it against her skin. She found herself welcoming the warmth he radiated, especially after spending a cold night in a cage.

"You talking to me? Are you talking to me, _perra_?!" Vaas whispered at her, his teeth ground in anger, "You telling me what to fucking do, huh? You're just as useless as he is. You got no fucking money. Tell me a good fucking reason not to fucking kill you."

"Because if you kill me, you don't get Nigel and Gunther's money… and believe me, it's a lot." She seethed back at him, her blue eyes looking defiantly at him, "And your boss is asking for us. Imagine his anger when he finds out you killed us. We're more useful than you think."

Vaas grinned evilly at her, "I am not afraid of my boss, _perra_. In fact, he can fuck himself." But he laughed suddenly and let go of her, an easy grin filling his face. "But if you think you can get the money, fine, I'll let you live… for now."

Alex let out a silent sigh of relief as Kidd closed his eyes and exhaled slowly. The older man got nervous at seeing the pirate grasp her around the neck.

Vaas mentioned at his soldier, "Okay, I'm going to chill, _hermano_. Chain these fuckers up and take them to the truck." He smiled at Alex, "The little _princesa_ sits in the front, okay? So I can shoot her in the skull if she runs. You guard the old fucker, okay?"

The man nodded and went forward to Kidd, seeing him as the larger threat. He chained Kidd on his wrists and his ankles, before coming forward to Alex. Vaas was watching her, so she raised her wrists to the man while glaring defiantly at him. He watched as his soldier chained her wrists, and she raised each foot to get them chained as well. When the soldier was done, Vaas' lips lifted into a smirk before he walked away, disappearing into the camp.

The soldier grasped her arm and pushed her out of the cage, and two more soldiers flanked Kidd as they walked out. The man's grip was tight against her arm, but she resisted the urge to shrug it off, since all the men around them were armed to the teeth with weapons.

As they walked through the camp, she took a look around. The camp had several bamboo cages like theirs, but some were elevated. All of them held prisoners, which included a several teenagers. She lowered her gaze as she passed them, making sure that the pity in her eyes can't be seen by Vaas.

The men were looking at her… leering at her even, as she walked past. Some of them wolf-whistled, others licking their lips hungrily, while one made an obscene gesture of grabbing his crotch and rubbing it with his hand, before wiggling his middle and ring finger at her. She looked up at Kidd, who had remained silent, but was looking around like her. At her glance, he looked down, and nodded assuredly. She took a deep breath and steeled herself as they walked on.

The men brought them in front of a Jeep, with a gun mounted on its top, with Vaas leaning casually on the hood, his legs crossed as he drew on a cigar. He turned his head and saw them, before mentioning towards the back. The men guarding Kidd pushing him roughly towards the back, while Vaas came forward and grabbed her arm, bringing her to the passenger door.

He opened the door and mentioned her to go in, and she sat down before Vaas slammed the door closed. The men and Kidd were settled in the back, and Vaas opened the driver's side and plopped down on it, turning the ignition and driving off. The truck's sound system started blaring out Guns and Roses' _"Welcome to the Jungle"_… and she huffed out at how appropriate it was.

"Where are you taking us?" Alex said her body a little tense, but she breathed out and inched closer to the door.

"Weren't you listening to me, _perra_?" Vaas said as he continued driving, the smooth ground from the camp now turning into a rough ride through the jungle path. She clung on to the dashboard as the jeep bounced around, while the pirate didn't seem to mind. "My boss wants to talk to you. I don't know what the fuck he wants a couple of rejects for, but that's his fucking business."

Alex merely nodded as she continued to jiggle around the jeep, when suddenly, Vaas drove the jeep into a big pothole, making her bounce up her seat before jolting to the side, her left shoulder colliding into Vaas' right arm. Without missing a beat, Vaas' arm wrapped around her shoulder, holding her tightly against his side, and he laughed.

"This is kinda romantic, no?" He said, grinning, as Alex tried to push away from him, but seeing that he still held his pistol, she stopped. "A drive through the jungle… you and me in the front… too bad we got a bunch of fuckers in the back." He laughed again, "Maybe some other time eh? When everything's more… private."

Vaas grabbed her head, pulling on her hair to make her flinch, and brought her hair to his face. He inhaled deeply, before pushing her back to her side of the seat. She looked up to see that Vaas looking a little… strange, as he stared out the windshield.

"What's wrong?" She mumbled.

Vaas grunted before saying softly, "Your hair smells like fucking flowers."

Alex blinked. Did Vaas just _compliment_ her? She didn't know, since the scowl on his face was more like a look of annoyance rather than admiration. She balled herself up, hugging her knees on the seat, as she stared out the windshield, too.

Vaas drove fast and rough through the forest, with Alex watching the greenery pass by, before reaching a much smoother dirt road into what looked like a heavily fortified camp. Unlike Vaas' camp, the place was more organized, and the men were better protected, wearing helmets and bullet-proof vests. She remained silent by Vaas' side as he entered the compound with the jeep, before stopping at one of the tents.

Vaas got out of the driver's seat just as the two men dragged Kidd off the back. The pirate turned and opened the door for her, and she scrambled out since her movements were hindered by the chains and shackles. He took her arm, his grip surprisingly gentle, as he helped her into the tents. The two other pirates pushed Kidd to follow, and Vaas opened up the flap to let them in.

Alex blinked as she entered, surprised that the inside of the tent was furnished with a carpet, and the table was neat in the center of it. The chair behind the table turned, showing a man with slightly graying hair, a stern face, a red button shirt, gray slacks and a matching gray jacket over it.

"Well, I'll be God-damned… Hoyt Volker."

Alex turned around to see Kidd staring at the man, before his face split into a huge grin. "Hoyt 'The Kingslayer' Volker. Never thought I'd ever see you alive, you fucker."

The man with gray hair blinked as he looked up at Kidd, his face also splitting into a smile, " 'The Kidd' Humphrey. My God, you got fat, you bastard."


	9. Chapter 8: The Kingslayer

Kidd laughed out loud before coming forward and, to both Alex and Vaas' surprise, hugged Hoyt. The other man hugged him back despite his chains, and patted him on the back, "It's been years, my friend! Such a small world it is, that I found you here… on Rook Islands!"

"Found? Captured you mean." Kidd said looking at Vaas, "Your boy here ambushed us."

Hoyt looked down at the man's chains and looked angrily at Vaas, "What the fuck are you doing? Chaining a man like this? Release them, release them both!"

Vaas looked grumpy as he took the keys from his pocket and unlocked the shackles from her wrists and legs, doing the same with Kidd. When he was done, Hoyt mentioned to the pirates behind them. "Tell your boys to leave, Vaas."

Vaas whistled and waved a hand, "Disappear." He ordered his men, and the pirates left the tent. Vaas looked annoyed as he sat down what looked like a wooden chair at the corner of the tent, and took out a cigarette, "Friends of yours, boss?"

"This man, yes. I owe him a bit of a debt." Hoyt laughed as he sat back behind his chair, and he opened his hands and gestured to the chairs in front of them, "Sit, sit! This is such a good surprise!"

Kidd grinned at Alex, but his grin seemed a little tense as he sat down one of the chairs. She sat down on the other, folding her hands nervously on her lap. Hoyt had begun pouring brandy into three glasses, getting one for himself, and the other two for them.

"Thank you, but I don't drink." She replied, but Kidd had already downed his glass.

"How long has it been, Hoyt?" Kidd said as Hoyt lit a cigar, "Fifteen years? I can't seem to remember."

Hoyt nodded, "Yes, fifteen years, exactly. I am surprised to see you bound by Vaas' men, old friend."

"It's a matter of circumstance." Kidd said, waving a hand carelessly, "I was hired as protection by the people I was with. Didn't protect them much though, they didn't pay me enough, the motherfuckers."

"I see. You always were about the money, Kidd." Hoyt said, looking at Alex, "And the woman? She seems to be a little too young to be your wife."

At this, Kidd guffawed, "Nope. This woman is Alex Steele. She's the daughter of an old friend of mine… before I met you."

Hoyt took out a hand, looking at Alex, and she took it, her touch light. She didn't feel right with Hoyt, "Mr. Volker." She said.

"Please, call me Hoyt." The man said, waved at her, "A friend of Kidd's is a friend of mine. So, tell me… what brings you to Rook Islands?"

"The men who hired us…" Kidd said, and Hoyt turned his attention to him again, "They were treasure hunters. They were looking' for something called the _Chaoyang, _when this guy's men ambushed us_._"

"Ahh… the fabled treasure. I've had a lot of them come here, too." Hoyt waved a hand, "They had their uses, before I shipped them off. They made a good profit, though."

"You head of this operation now?" Kidd asked, "Seems like a huge jump from the mining business to human trafficking."

Alex looked in shock at Kidd as Hoyt laughed, "It's more than just human trafficking, Kidd. Drugs… guns… weapons… knock-off bags… if it's illegal and you want to ship it, then you call me. It is a good business."

"You always did have a mind in this kind of thing." Kidd said.

Hoyt nodded, "I was actually very surprised, you know… when Vaas showed me your ID. 'Kiddleston Humphrey', it said. And I said… I said, it cannot be! So, I had the both of you brought to me." He laughed, "You don't like those men who hired you, Kidd? No problem, I fix it, yeah? Once Vaas gets the money for the ransom, I sell their asses. Easy, yeah?"

Alex blinked when she realized that it wasn't Vaas who headed the operation, that it was Hoyt. While Vaas held the ransom for the captives, he would keep the money instead and give the captives to Hoyt, who would then sell them as slaves, prostitutes… or whatever the buyer needs.

And after knowing that Nigel and Gunther had a much worse fate than hers, she couldn't help but mumble out, "Yeah… easy."

Hoyt turned his attention to her then, "Ah… Alex wasn't it? I heard that you've struck a bargain with Vaas about a couple of his hostages."

"Yes… I have." Alex said, straightening up and looking bravely at Hoyt. She put on a professional air as she spoke, "Nigel and Gunther's bank accounts have a substantial amount in them. I managed Nigel's accounts, so I am able to transfer the money to anyone you want. Including yours or… Vaas'."

Hoyt leaned back from his chair to look at her, "Interesting. And you can do this to everyone?"

She shrugged, "Given the right equipments, data connection and personal codes, yeah."

Hoyt clapped and stood up, "You hear that, Vaas?! This little lady is our new best friend now!"

Vaas nodded distractedly from his corner, "Yeah, sure, boss."

The elder man laughed again before coming around and putting a hand on Alex's shoulder, making her shiver a bit, "So, little lady, you tell me what you need, huh? You list it down, give it Vaas, and I make sure you get them as soon as possible so you can start."

Alex looked over to Kidd, who nodded at her, and she answered, "Yes, sir."

"Good!" Hoyt said, patting Alex's head before coming back to his seat, "In the meantime, Alex and Kidd, you stay with Vaas here on the island, okay?"

At this, Vaas' temper flared again, "No, no, no, no, no, please… boss, I got way too much already to take care of these fuckers."

"Kidd here is one of the best trainers I know in armed and hand-to-hand combat." Hoyt said as he settled down on his chair again and grabbed his cigar, "And let's face it, Vaas, your boys can't shoot for shit. As for the woman…" He pointed over at Alex, "She can get you plenty of money, and if you want you can make them both help in the kitchens. Kidd used to grill the best barbeque around, and I'm sure the woman could cook as well."

Vaas glared at them both, "I get plenty of money from other captives, and I got others to fucking cook for us. I don't give a fuck about them."

The table shook as Hoyt slammed his hand down, and Alex jumped a little at her seat as the man's face contorted in anger at Vaas, "Now you listen to me, you little shit! You WILL keep them, and you WILL take care of them, do you understand?! It is by MY GRACE that your head isn't IMPALED on the FUCKING antenna of my CAR! Therefore, I would LIKE it if you gave a FUCK about my GUESTS!"

The pirate glared back at Hoyt, "Okay, Hoyt! Okay… alright."

Hoyt's angry face suddenly turned happy again, "Good! Now off you go! Take care of them for me, Vaas!"

The pirate nodded sullenly as he looked at Alex, before inclining his head towards the flap. Alex and Kidd stood up; starting to head outside, but Hoyt stopped them. "Oh, by the way…"

The three of them turned around to look at Hoyt, who was looking suspiciously at them, "Make sure you do things right. Fuck anything up, and I'll kill you both."


	10. Chapter 9: The Pirate Moves In

Vaas was silent during the trip back, and Alex and Kidd, now devoid in of their shackles, sat together at the back of the truck with the two soldiers. Kidd held on to Alex as Vaas went through the rough terrain of the jungle again, but soon she looked up at Kidd.

"How did you know Hoyt, Kidd?" Alex asked the older man, and he sighed.

"I helped him kill his father." Kidd said, and she blinked, "His father was a rough fucker… always beating him up and saying he's worthless. I was working, you know… I used to be a boxing teacher." He shrugged, "He went into my gym one day and said that he wanted to learn how to fight. I asked him why… and he said, straight to my face, that he wanted to kill his father. Didn't shock me really, when he started opening up about his father. I wanted to kill the fucker, too. For a guy who beats up his kid… a grown man… who just wanted to please him, it fucked him up nasty on the head. Pretty soon, the boxing lessons turned into shooting lessons."

Alex gulped, "And he succeeded, didn't he?"

Kidd nodded, "Gave me a five million dollar check in thanks for teaching him to kill. His pirates… well, his oldest ones, call him 'Kingslayer' since his father's wealth could rival a king's." He grinned at her, "Which was fortunately used for your college education."

Alex slapped a hand on her forehead, "Oh great, so I owe my education to that man, don't I?" She looked down on the ground, thinking, before looking up at Kidd, "Can you… can you teach me to kill, Kidd?"

The older man looked down at her in shock, before looking grim, "You sure you want to, kiddo?"

"The men just leered at me… on our way out of the camp, a while ago." Alex said, before pointing at the driver's seat where Vaas was, "Vaas and Hoyt are unstable people, and the jungle is full of dangerous animals. If I have to survive, I have to learn some new skills… including killing."

Kidd looked at her solemnly, before nodding, "Alright. I'll teach you… once we get settled in." He saw lights in the distance now, and he nodded to it, "I see their camp now. Better get ready."

The jeep stopped in the middle of Vaas' camp again, and Kidd and the pirates jumped out, as the older man helped Alex off the back of the jeep. Vaas came around and grasped her arm again, and he mentioned his two pirates to guard Kidd. They started walking towards the cages again. The two pirates opened one of the smaller cages, pushing Kidd into it as Vaas turned to look at him.

"You'll be staying here for a while, old fucker." He said, smirking at Kidd.

Alex looked at Kidd, fear gripping her insides. They're going to get separated, which means anyone could get her now. She looked up at Vaas, but the pirate merely smiled and gently touched her face, as if he was flirting with her.

"Shh…. Shhh…. Don't worry, _hermana_." He cooed, "I got something real nice planned for you."

She shivered as Vaas' rough fingers brushed across her cheek, before slowly trailing down her neck and her shoulder. She closed her eyes, swallowing down her fear, before opening them again and glaring up at him, showing him she wasn't afraid, and the pirate grinned, poking her nose.

"You keep putting on your brave face, _hermana_." Vaas said as he grabbed her arm again and started pulling her towards one of the larger huts, before opening the door.

The hut was made of bamboo and coconut leaves, and it was rather big. The door led to a much larger room, with a simple cot, some several bags, a giant flat screen TV and a DVD player. Beside the TV was a rack full of movies… half of which, as Alex grimaced, were porn movies. She recognized a pair of Vaas' pants and a red shirt, hanging by the wall, and she realized it was his room.

Vaas pushed her forward, and they entered the room at the back, which was slightly smaller than the room in the front. It was a simple room, which had a cot and a table, with a steel pole positioned at the center of it.

She blinked at the sight of it, "What's that for?" She asked Vaas in a quiet voice.

"That?" The pirate king said, coming up behind her. She felt his breath in her ear as he whispered, "That is for little _putas_ like you could dance for me."

She gritted her teeth, "I am NOT a whore." She whispered vehemently.

Suddenly, Vaas pushed her roughly, making her fall to the floor. She pushed herself up, but Vaas was already on her. He turned her to face him, reared back, and slammed his forehead to hers, making her see stars. As her vision blurred, she felt Vaas grab her breast roughly. She tried to push him off, clawing at his neck and face, but Vaas merely took her wrists and pushed them up with one hand. She tried to push him off with her legs, but he captured them by spreading his legs apart, trapping her underneath his weight. She felt him struggle with his belt, laughing maniacally all the while. His grip got harder and tighter as she struggled, and he bent his head to roughly kiss her neck, biting her shoulder and licking her clavicle.

But soon enough, she stopped moving, keeping her eyes staring blindly at the ceiling.

He noticed that she stopped moving, and he growled as he breathed heavily against her neck. The hand unbuckling his pants went up and grasped her neck, tightening over her airway, and making her choke a bit. But she kept her gaze up the ceiling.

"What the fuck are you doing, _puta?_" Vaas growled at her, biting at her shoulder painfully, before looking at her face. She grits her teeth to prevent herself from crying out in pain, before staring defiantly at Vaas. The pirate blinked, his light green eyes widening at the sight of her anger in her ocean blue eyes.

"If you think you can break me, you're wrong." Alex seethed at him, talking despite of her lack of air, "You may take my body. But it will NOT be me. It will NEVER be me."

Vaas stared at her, his eyes seeing the determination and bravery in her. She stared back defiantly, her chest heaving from her previous struggles and her shortness of breath. She felt his hand tightening again, and she struggled to keep staring at him, keeping her hands balled into fists that her fingernails dug into her skin and drew blood.

Finally, Vaas roughly pushed her back, letting go of her throat and standing. She breathed in deep, gulping precious air as she looked up at him as she coughed. She massaged her throat, as the pirate king stepped back, and began chuckling.

"You know, I like that… I respect that, _hermana_." He said, walking towards the pole, "You knew didn't you? You knew I wanted my women to struggle." He chuckled again as he bent down and took something from the bottom of the pole, before making his way back to her, keeping his hand on his back. He bent down in front of her, and she raised her head to stare at him bravely.

Vaas lifted his finger and drew away the hair that fell down her face during their struggle, tucking it behind her ear gently, before smirking down at her. "You are interesting, you know that? So you… you going to stay here, okay? We're going to find out what's it going to take to make you want me."

Alex's eyes widened in surprise, before they narrowed in anger, "I will NEVER want you, Vaas."

But the pirate merely grinned, before taking her neck… much more gently than before and wrapping a collar around it. She gasped in shock, realizing that the pirate had just chained her like a dog on to the steel pole, before looking up the pirate. He grinned down at her, before roughly grabbing her hair and bringing his face closer to his.

"I am going to break you." He whispered, his breath fanning her face, and she grit her teeth and stared in anger at him. "I will find out what will make you cry. I will break your bravery into pieces. And I am going to make you want me."


	11. Chapter 10: Jose

That night, after Vaas left her, Alex was finally able to sleep. The cot he left her in was itchy, and it stank to the heavens, but she made do by covering up the thin pillow with her cardigan. The neck collar and chain limited her movement, but she was as least able to get a few hours of decent sleep.

She was awoken by a man barging into the room, and she scrambled off towards the corner of the bed. The man that entered looked surprisingly kind, dressed in black pants and a gray long sleeved-shirt, with a red vest and bandanna on his head. Unlike the other pirates, the man was athletic and not as muscular. The bandana covered his black hair, tied up in a ponytail, and his dark eyes looked at her a little in alarm. Unlike Vaas who had harsh square features, the man's face was rounder.

He carried what looked like a tray of white rice and bananas, and a pad and pen. At her gaze down at the tray, the man smiled uncertainly.

"Vaas was ordered by Hoyt to give you food and paper." The man said, "He said that you should write down what you need to get the captive's money from their accounts."

Alex nodded, remaining silent, and the man laid the food on the table before backing up towards the door. She looked at him uncertainly, before slowly rising up off the bed, and making her way towards the food.

"I…" The man said, and she turned to him, "I'm Jose, by the way."

She stared at him, looking for a sign that he was going to do something funny, "Alex."

The man nodded, smiling a little at her. "Okay… uhm… Alex. I was ordered by Vaas to guard you when he's not around so, when you're done, just call me."

She nodded at him again, and Jose smiled uncertainly at her, raising a hand in farewell. The man then left the hut, and Alex let out the breath she had been holding, before sitting down and eating.

When she was done eating, Jose came back and took the tray away, leaving the pen and paper. She started listing down what she needed, as well as some things she wanted for herself. She figured that Hoyt wouldn't mind buying it for her, since he did tell her to list down what she needed, and she was sure that after getting the money from Nigel and Gunther's account, the money he would spend for her items would be well paid off.

She called Jose when she was done with her list and the man entered the hut, taking the paper from her, looking down at the list. He blinked when he looked at it, and looked up at her, nodding.

"Do you think Hoyt will get them all for me?" Alex said quietly, but Jose coughed, before scratching his head shyly.

"I… I don't know." The pirate said, grinning shyly at her, "I… I never learned how to read."

Alex blinked at the pirate's confession, "You… you can't read?"

"Well… yeah." Jose said, shrugging, "When Vaas hired me, I was a problem kid. I could shoot a gun because Vaas' men taught me, but no one ever taught me to read."

"Not even your parents?"

The man shrugged, "I got none. My parents died a few years after I was born."

She blinked in shock, "Oh… I'm… I'm sorry to hear that."

But Jose waved a hand, "Don't worry about it." He pocketed the paper, "Anyway, I just do what I'm ordered, and Hoyt did say that you write down everything you need. I can't read it, but I think he'll buy them for you."

Alex nodded, but she blinked when she thought of something, "Wait, give me back my list. I have to put something else in."

Jose looked confused as he gave her back the paper, and she wrote down three more items, before giving it back to him. The man looked at the paper, "What did you forget?"

"A couple of books and writing materials." Alex said, and she smiled at the man, "Since you're guarding me, I might as well teach you how to read."

It was Jose's turn to look in surprise at her, before his face brightened, "I've… I've always wanted to learn how to read."

Alex smiled at him again, and Jose's face looked admiringly at her, but they both jumped when the door opened with a bang and Vaas stepped in. The pirate king looked at the two of them.

"The fuck you doing here, Jose?" Vaas said, walking towards them, scowling at the other man.

"Hoyt ordered me to get the list of what the captive needed for the money." Jose answered back, and Alex realized the man's demeanor changed. He looked slightly more fearful, but he didn't make Vaas see it. The man came forward and took the list from Jose, looking down at it, scowling when he read the contents.

"What do you need a fucking iPod for,_ hermana_?" Vaas said, scoffing at the list, "And books?"

Alex glared at him, "Hoyt told me to list down whatever I wanted, so I did. He's going to decide if he should buy it, not you, Vaas."

Anger flared up Vaas' face again, before he smirked, "We'll see about that, _perra_." He turned to Jose and whistled, waving a hand away, "Disappear, _hermano_. I'm going to take the bitch for a walk."

Jose looked worriedly at Alex before nodding, leaving the hut as Vaas bent forward towards the pole, removing the chain. She watched as Vaas wrapped the chain around his waist, padlocking it. She looked up at the pirate, and he winked at her. "Come on, Alex. I got quite the surprise for you."


	12. Chapter 11: Deathmatch

Vaas led her out of the hut and into the center of the camp, the collar rubbing her neck raw as the pirate tugged at it to make her move with him. She had no choice but the follow, and the men around the camp continued to leer at her.

He led her up what looked to be a stage, which had dried blood on it. Alex swallowed the nausea down and looked around, realizing that the area below the stage looked like a ring, with several of the men surrounding it, cheering and yelling Vaas' name. Vaas sat down a wooden… throne; I guess you could call it, pulling on Alex's chain.

"Sit, _hermana_." Vaas said, pointing at the floor and pulling the chain again. She glared in hatred at him before folding her legs and sitting down at the dried blood on the stage.

Vaas raised a hand and flicked his fingers forward, and Alex watched as the crowd parted, ragging someone behind a chain. She gasped, her heart twisting in pain, as Kidd emerged. Dried blood coated his arms and torso, where cuts and bruises could be seen. His lip and nose was bleeding, his left eye swollen. His wrists and ankles were shackled, but his stride remained strong. He looked very beaten up, but when he saw Alex at the stage, seeing she was at least alive, he grinned, his teeth red with blood. She smiled encouragingly at her friend, her fingers balled into fists in anger at the pirates.

Vaas raised his hand again, and the men silenced. He stood up, "So _hermanos_…" He started, "Hoyt said that this old fucker…" He pointed at Kidd, "Is going to be part of our little camp now."

The men booed and yelled curses at Kidd, but he remained standing, looking at Alex. Vaas raised a hand again, "So… we're going to fucker a chance. He says he's former military, so… how about we find out how tough he is, _no_?"

The men cheered again, and Vaas waved Kidd forward. The men guarding Kidd pushed at him, and he stepped in front of the stage. Vaas kneeled at the stage and looked down at Kidd.

"So… the rules, old fucker…" Vaas said, "No guns, no knives. You fight with your fucking hands, but you fight to the death. You finish your opponent, or he finishes you, you got that?"

Kidd glared up at Vaas, before grinning, "Deathmatch eh? I'd like that. But I got one more condition… a prize if you will."

Vaas scoffed, "Your life ought to be a prize enough if you win this, _hermano_." But he shrugged, "But, I'm feeling generous. What else do you want?"

Kidd raised his arms and pointed at Alex, making her blink, "Our freedom. We stay here, with you, but no more chains or ropes or cages. That's all."

Vaas' brows furrowed as he took in Kidd's words, before looking back at Alex. She looked up at him, surprised at Kidd's request, but she swallowed and glared back at him, clutching the collar on her neck. The pirate king stared hard at her, before smirking. He looked back at Kidd and waved a hand, "Okay, _hermano_. I'll take that. But I have a condition, too."

Kidd and Alex looked at each other in surprise, and the older man looked up at Vaas, "And what's that?"

Vaas grinned evilly as he bent over nearer to Kidd, "If my boy wins and you lose, then you, _hermano_… will watch me as I fuck the hell out of this woman." Kidd's eyes widened in fear at Vaas' words, and the pirate king put a finger on his temple, "After which I'll put a bullet through your fucking skull, take your head and mount it on a pole."

A shiver of fear ran down Alex's spine at Vaas' conditions and she looked at Kidd. But the older man merely grinned, "Agreed."

She gasped as Vaas smiled at him and nodded, and she scrambled along the floor nearer to Kidd, "Kidd…!"

But the man merely grinned at her, "Don't worry, kiddo. We'll be alright." He spread his arms out wide and smiled at Vaas, "Let's get this on, shall we?"


	13. Chapter 12: The Two Giants

Vaas nodded and stood up again, waving at the crowd, "Bring out Lupo!"

Kidd returned to the middle of the ring just as Alex watched as the crowd parted again, and she gasped. 'Lupo' was a very… very tall man, almost seven feet tall, with muscles bulging out of his shirt and looking as threatening and scary as Vaas. He fisted his hands and howled, flexing the muscles in his arms and torso, the crowd cheering at his cry for blood. His hoarse yell made her shiver, but as she looked down at Kidd, the man was actually _grinning_, cracking his knuckles and making a battle stance.

Vaas returned to his chair, and he pulled on Alex's chain, making her sit beside his legs. She sat down the blood-encrusted floor again, wringing her hands as the two combatants circled each other. Kidd's face was full of concentration, while that of Lupo was more like a look of blood thirst. And then, the larger man charged.

He threw his fist out, trying to get Kidd's face, but he merely ducked out and swung out both of his arms like a sledgehammer, getting the giant in the face. Lupo growled in anger, and tried to hit a punch again, but Kidd ducked and hit him again. Alex watched them, and was shocked to find Kidd laughing, as the taller and larger Lupo tried to get him.

Lupo was able to grasp Kidd by the shoulder, and he brought the man's face close to his, growling out at him. Kidd surged forward, hitting his head against Lupo's, making him let go of the military man and dropping him. Kidd raised himself up, and threw out a leg to kick Lupo at the back of the knee, making the giant kneel, after which he threw out his leg again, and kneed Lupo in the face.

The crowd booed as their champion went down, and Alex hugged her arms around Vaas' chair leg, clutching at her chain. She watched ad Kidd seemed to wrap his hand around his shackles before bending over Lupo's prone body, and punching him.

Kidd barraged the bigger man's face with chain-enforced punches, and she could feel herself getting elated as her friend punched away, Lupo's blood was flying and splattering Kidd's shirt red. But the bigger man yelled and hoisted himself up, throwing Kidd away from him. Her arms tightened around the chair leg unconsciously as Kidd fell to the dirt.

Lupo charged at Kidd again, picking him up the floor, wrapping a big hand tight on her friend's neck and leg, before lifting him up, intending to break his back. But Kidd twisted, making the giant let go of him, and in one smooth movement, Kidd wrapped his chain around Lupo's neck, his arms bulging in an effort to choke the man.

The larger man struggled hard against Kidd's assault, but Kidd held on, tightening the metal, and soon Lupo sank down to his knees. Kidd grinned and growled, twisting his arm and the chain, and a bone-shattering crack echoed through the camp, silencing Vaas' troops.


	14. Chapter 13: For The Win

Alex exhaled in relief as Kidd let go of Lupo's corpse, standing with pride in the circle, but her heart leapt to her throat as the men raised their guns at Kidd. But Vaas raised a hand, and the men lowered their weapons. She looked up at the pirate to see him grinning.

"You win _hermano_." Vaas said, smirking down at him from his chair, and Kidd went forward towards the stage. "A lot of people died in Lupo's hands, _hermano_. I like that… no, I RESPECT that. And, you gave Alex here quite a show…" He grinned down at her as he reached out a hand and touched the top of her head. "She's been clinging to my leg since the battle started."

Alex blinked, before looking down. Vaas was right; she was clinging to his leg, which she thought was his chair. She let go of him and bent down, hiding her blush under her hair.

Vaas let out a laugh before standing up, waving a hand at his men. One of them came forward and unshackled Kidd's wrists and the pirate jumped off the stage towards him. The chain that held her neck grew taut as Vaas jumped down, making her fall face down to the bloody floor. She raised her hands up to look at Vaas, and the pirate merely smirked before looking up at Kidd, "So, _amigo_… tell me something…" The pirate king asked, "You willing to work for me?"

Kidd looked down at him as he rubbed his wrist, "How much are we talking about here?"

Vaas shrugged, "20k… give or take. The richer the fuckers are, the more we get." He mentioned around the camp, "Plus, all the people and jungle critters you can kill."

Kidd grinned, "Sounds good. I didn't have a good life back home anyway."

The pirate king grinned and patted Kidd's shoulder, "Hey, you fucks!" He addressed his men, "You see what this old fucker did here? Killed a giant _pendejo_ with his own hands, didn't he? Any of you fuckers could do that to Lupo?"

The men remained silent, and Vaas scoffed, "Didn't think so. Now… this _hermano_ right here… he was former military, huh? And now he's going to train you, so you listen to him, or I tell him to break your necks, too. I want all of you to be able to snap people's neck just like he did, okay?!"

The men mumbled an assent, and Vaas mentioned to Jose, "Hey, Jose!" The man came forward and looked at him, "You take this man to a new hut, yeah? Get him cleaned and dressed up. He is very important now, because he'll teach pussies like you to kill better, _no_?"

Jose blinked, before nodding mentioning to Kidd, but the elder man remained standing. "Hey, Vaas… you seem to be forgetting something."

"Hmm? What was that, _hermano_?" Vaas said, looking back at the man.

"Alex." Kidd said simply, "Release her."

Vaas looked at Alex, staring at her with his eyes, and she looked back defiantly. He grinned and winked at her, "Okay, _hermano_. But she'll be staying with me, from now on."

Kidd was about to retort something, but Vaas raised his hands, "I need an assistant, no? Take care of my money, keep things running smooth, you know? Besides…" He came forward and wiggled his fingers forward, causing Kidd to bend over the pirate, and he whispered, "These fucks, _amigo_… they gonna butcher her, fuck her like a little _puta_. Do you want that, _hermano_?"

The older man scowled at him, "And you won't do that to her?"

Vaas laughed, "I can't promise it. But if she's a good little girl, then I'll be good too, no? You tell her that." He reached back and pulled the keys to her chain from his pocket, unlocking the chain from his waist and giving it to Kidd. "You unshackle her, yeah? Then we all head to dinner." He turned to his men again, shouting, "Hey, motherfucker! Where's the cook, huh?! I'm fucking hungry! And somebody clean up this fucking mess, yeah?" He chuckled as he looked back at Alex, "We are in the presence of a lady! So clean this shit up!"

Vaas and the men headed towards one of the tents, while five other men hauled the carcass of Lupo away from the ring. Kidd bent down and unlocked Alex's collar, and when it was gone, Alex rushed to him wrapping her arms around his neck.

"You fucking asshole." She whispered as Kidd chuckled and hugged her back, "You scared the living crap out of me. I thought that he'll kill you!"

"You worry about me too much, baby girl." Kidd said as he helped her up and let go of her, "I took on a full grown bear once. That fucker was easy as pie." He looked down at her seriously, seeing the prints of Vaas' hands and the collar at her neck, as well as the dark bruise on her forehead. "He touched you, didn't he?"

"He… he tried." Alex said, "But he stopped when I stopped struggling. As it turns out, he gets more excited when I struggle."

Kidd smiled proudly at her, "Figured that out for yourself did you? Smart girl!" He ruffled her hair before taking her hands, "Now you listen to me, baby girl. Do you remember what I said to you before, about Vaas being the head honcho?"

She nodded, "If I can't stay close to you, I stay close to him… get under his good graces."

"And that stays." Kidd said, "You were able to fight him off before, and I know you can do it again. Vaas is selfish… he'll want to get you on his own without asking for his men's help. But these guys… these guys will line up to you and rape you to death. So you… you stay with him, or to me, you understand?"

She nodded, "There's one of them… Jose… I think he's trustworthy."

"No, sweetheart. Do NOT trust anybody." Kidd said, "You don't trust Vaas, or this Jose, or any of the men, or the captives, you understand? You trust me, or yourself. Especially yourself. You hear?"

She nodded again as Kidd grasped her arm, "This is a fucked up world we're in now, baby girl." He said as they entered the tent, "So you'd better adapt the fucked-up-head mentality… or else you're going to die."


	15. Chapter 14: The Definition of Insanity

Even though she was no longer chained, Vaas ordered Jose to guard her back in the hut, telling her she's not allowed to come out until the things she needed from Hoyt were delivered, and that no one was allowed in except himself and Jose. With nothing to do, and with only Jose allowed entering, she spent most of her days sleeping.

On the rare occasion that Vaas entered the hut, she stayed awake to make sure the pirate didn't do anything with her. He would open her door and look at her for a while, before grinning and closing the door again… after which she would hear him turn on his TV. She cringed when she heard the obscene sounds of a porno movie playing, and she almost growled when she heard Vaas groaning and grunting… realizing that the insane pirate was jacking off in the other room.

But Vaas' grunts of passion made her shiver and grow warm, and she thought she heard him curse out in Spanish as he jacked himself off to orgasm, his groans of release penetrating through the thin wall of their hut. She would hear his rough breath and him putting his clothes back again. She bent low and covered her face in her knees as she waited for the pirate to leave.

Four nights later, Vaas entered her room, and she sat at the corner of her bed, staring blankly ahead, as if daydreaming. Vaas took a chair and sat down near the bed, keeping an eye on her, before putting his hands on his chin and smirking at her.

"Alex…" He started, and she looked up at him, "Have I ever told you what the… definition of insanity is?"

She stared at him in shock, before silently shaking her head.

"Insanity…" Vaas continued, "… is… doing the exact, same fucking thing, over and over again, expecting shit will change. That is crazy."

"But the first time somebody ever told me that, I don't know… I thought they were bullshitting me, so boom…" He pointed his fingers like a gun again and put it on his temple, "I shot him."

A shiver ran down Alex spine again, and the pirate continued, "The thing is, okay? He was right. And then I started to see it everywhere I looked… everywhere I looked, all these fucking pricks… everywhere I looked, doing the exact same fucking thing, over and over and over and over again. Thinking 'this time, it's going to be different'."

Alex blinked, surprised to see a philosophical side to Vaas' unstable and crazy personality. She thought about it, realizing it was true. She lived her life the same way everyday… getting up in the morning, working for Nigel, occasionally going out with friends, but all the same… she did same things over and over again.

Vaas hid his lips in his hands, but she could see him smirking, "Reminded you of everything, eh, _hermana_?"

Alex looked up at him, "Yes… it sounds exactly like my life."

The pirate smiled again, before spreading his arms, "You see. And we're doing it now. You not looking at me. Me looking at you. We've been doing it for four nights now. So now, _hermana_…" He stood up and brought the chair closer to her bed. "We going to do things different, no? Ever played 'Questions'? I ask you a question, and you answer, and then you ask a question, and then I answer."

She looked up suspiciously, "The last time I played a game like that, I almost got raped."

Vaas' brows furrowed, "I didn't ask you a question that time, _hermana_."

She sighed, "It wasn't you."

Vaas nodded absently, "Okay. Then that is my first question." He looked seriously at her, "Who tried to fuck you, Alex? And don't lie. I'll know if you were lying." He said, taking out a pistol and holding it loosely in his hand, "Or else…" He brought the gun to his temple, and clucked his tongue.

Alex stared back defiantly at him, "Nigel and Gunther."

Something flashed in Vaas' eyes, but just as Alex was about to ask what it was, it faded, and the pirate king smirked at her, "Okay, your turn."

Alex racked her brain for something to ask the pirate, but she blurted out the first thing she thought, "Are you going to try and touch me again?"

At this the pirate laughed, "Depends on you, hermana. You keep looking at me like that, and I just might. Now my question is, do you want me to touch you again?"

She blinked at the pirate's question, before a frown entered her features, "No."

Vaas grunted, "We'll see about that, hermana." He opened his hands, "Okay. Your question."

"Who are you, really?" Alex asked, and Vaas smiled.

"Oh? So you want a proper introduction, hermana?" The pirate king bent over in a mock bow before opening his hands, "I am Vaas Montenegro. Pirate, former Rakyat, and king of this fucking island. I am twenty seven years old, but I kill as quickly as your papi Kidd. I will fuck who I want, when I want… and that includes you, hermana. So you'd better be careful where you lay your pretty little eyes, because one wrong look and I fuck you until you scream my name."

She blinked and looked away, staring at the bed sheets instead of looking at Vaas, making the pirate laugh. "My turn, do you have family?" Vaas asked.

She kept her eyes on the bed as she answered, "No. I was an only child, and I was orphaned at a young age. Kidd has been taking care of me since I was nine. Do you have family?"

"I have a fucking sister." Vaas said, his voice growling a little, and Alex looked up at him to see his face wrinkled with fury, "And I will put a bullet into her fucking skull." He pantomimed a gun to his temple again and clicked his tongue. "Just like that. Now for my question, what happened to your parents, hermana?"

Alex frowned, "If I told you I don't want to talk about it, would you shoot me?"

"Yes." Vaas said without stopping, waving the gun in front of her. She sighed; she really hated talking about what happened twenty years ago… before she even met Kidd. She never told anyone, not even her closest friends about what had happened to her. And it annoyed her at the fact that some insane pirate was about to know her story.

"Fine then… it all started twenty years ago…"


	16. Chapter 15: Where She Began

Police Officer John Alexis Steele couldn't help but sigh as his ocean blue eyes watched his daughter sleep on her bed, her teddy bear clutched tightly on her arm. She looked so beautiful, with her blond hair… so like her mother's… fanned down her pillow as she slept. She had a peaceful look in her face, her blue eyes moving underneath her lids as she dreamt. It tore him apart, seeing that the peace on her face was only possible when she sleeps. Because when she's awake and watching him pull out of the driveway in his patrol car, she's often biting her lip with worry, her brows furrowed in fear.

"Is she asleep?"

John turned around, seeing the girl's mother, clutching her robe around her chest as she stood beside him and watched their daughter sleep. Kathleen Myers-Steele… his wife… was just a plain housewife, but he loved her dearly. He reached out an arm and wrapped it around her shoulders, "Yeah. She's sleeping."

Kathleen sighed and rubbed her forehead, "She was watching the news, you know. Waiting for you to appear."

"I know. I'm sorry I worried you." John said, kissing his wife's forehead, her silver blonde hair smelling like lavenders, before running a hand through his head, messing his auburn hair, "But we're so close in this case. So damn close. I want to get this asshole before he hurts anyone else."

Kathleen nodded, "I know you do. I can't stand sleeping at night knowing that maniac is roaming the streets."

John smiled down at his wife, "Tell you what? When we're done with this case, we're going to take a family vacation. How does Hawaii sound to you?"

His wife smiled brightly, before smirking and kissing her husband, "That sounds like a date."

He grinned as the doorbell rang, and he let go of his wife. "That must be Kidd. He probably has something new about the case."

"Okay. Maybe you should go get it. He'll want to talk to you privately, after all." Kathleen said, and John smiled down at her, kissing her cheek, before running down the stairs. Kathleen watched her husband run, before sighing.

"Mommy?"

She turned around to see their daughter, Alex, sit up from her bed, looking worriedly at her. She smiled at the child and saw down near her. "Sweetheart, you should be sleeping."

"The doorbell woke me." The girl said, "Mommy, is that Mr. Kidd? Is he talking to daddy again?"

"I don't know, sweetheart. It probably is." Kathleen said, and Alex looked up at her mother again, before pouting her lip.

"Mommy, why are there people like that man on TV? The one daddy is catching."

Kathleen blinked at the child's question, before smiling again, "Well… sweetheart… sometimes, things happen to people, you know? It makes them confused or angry. It changes them. Do you know the story of the two wolves?"

Alex blinked and shook her head, and Kathleen continued, "Well, they say that inside each person there are two wolves fighting each other… one black as night, the other white as snow." She smiled as Alex's eyes widened as she listened intently to the story. "The black wolf represents the bad in us. He is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, lies… and ego. The white wolf represents the good in us… he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith. The two wolves fight each other inside every person… inside you, and inside me… inside daddy… inside that man who killed a lot of people in the news."

The little girl's brows furrowed, "But Mommy, which wolf will win?"

Kathleen smiled tenderly at her daughter before stroking her silver-blond hair, "The one you feed, Alex. The wolf you feed is the one who will win."

The girl's brows knit in concentration, trying to understand her mother, and she blinked, "Does that mean that bad man fed his bad wolf?"

"Yes, I'm afraid he did, sweetheart." Kathleen said sadly, "I'm afraid he did-"

"KATHLEEN!"

She stood up as John shouted, and sprinting down the stairs, not knowing that Alex had jumped up from bed and followed her. They rushed downstairs to find John struggling with a man, the living room trashed as they battled. As Kathleen entered the living room, the man turned and a loud bang filled the room, and Kathleen collapsed on the floor. Alex screamed.

"NO!" John cried out as his wife fell to the floor, blood pooling at the carpet as his daughter cried and ran to her mother, trying to shake her awake. He punched the man, before he took the man's arm and twisting it. The man yelled in pain, and John knocked the gun from his hand, bouncing off the floor. John threw another punch, but the man ducked and ran away from the living room, opening the kitchen door.

John panted as the man ran off, but as he looked down at his crying daughter, he rushed towards them, lifting up his wife's body. He looked down at her face only to see that the man's bullet had pierced through her head, and that she was dead.

"Daddy…?"

He looked up to see Alex's face was bloodstained, as her mother's blood sprayed on to her, and tears streaking down her face as she cried. His own tears fell from his eyes as he reached out for his daughter, but something silver flashed in his vision, before Alex was sprayed with blood.

The man had gotten a knife from the kitchen, crept up on John, and slit his throat. His eyes widened as his blood sprayed on his daughter as she stared in shock at her father. John's eyes rolled to the back of his head as he fell limp on top of his wife, dead.

Alex stared at the bodies of her parents, unable to blink or make a sound in shock. She looked down at her shaking hands, seeing the red blood of her parents, and her vision darkened. She looked up at the man… the man who killed her parents… as her whole body shook in fear.

The man grinned down at her, his white teeth flashing, his pale face speckled in her father's blood as his wide, brown eyes looked down at her in glee. "Hello, girlie."

Fear went up her spine, and her breath seemed to stop, before everything faded to black… and she felt nothing.


	17. Chapter 16: Interlude

"When I woke up, I was in a hospital." Alex said, as she stared at the wall. After recalling her parent's death, she wanted to cry and grieve for them, but through the years, the hurt had dimmed down, and she knew that Vaas would be annoyed and probably kill her if she had cried. "Kidd… was my father's friend; he was working with my father about the case. When he heard about what happened, he rushed to the hospital and decided to take me in. He was always in his gym or working somewhere, so he had a bunch of nannies take care of me until I reached fifteen, after which I started taking care of myself… with his money, of course."

Vaas was silent, staring at her with weird… almost compassionate look on his face. "That's a tough way to become an orphan, hermana."

Alex scoffed before smiling a little, "I never told anyone about it. I didn't want anyone to pity me. Even Kidd, when he would try to comfort me when they died… I told him not to. He finished the case, anyway. He told me the man was killed during a prison brawl a few years back. And now, I've told you."

Vaas smiled, making the skin around his eyes and cheeks wrinkle, and for a moment, he looked adorable, like he was happy that she had told him her story. She felt a warmth creep up her neck as his smile seemed to change his face. The manic pirate disappeared, replaced by a normal, handsome man. "And now we share a secret, no?"

She stared at him for a while, before smiling back, "Yeah… I guess we do. Now it's your turn. Tell me about your family."

At Alex's question, Vaas face turned dark and he scowled at her, making the pirate in him reappear, "It won't be pretty, hermana."

"Normal people would cringe at my story. And I doubt that you'd ever have to bathe in your parent's blood." Alex said, her smile fading and scowling back at Vaas, "I already told you my story. It's only right that you tell me yours."

The pirate king stared hard at her, before huffing out a breath, "You're prettier when you're smiling, hermana."

Alex blinked, and she felt her cheeks grow warm at Vaas' compliment, but she shook her head, "Don't change the subject, Vaas."

Vaas waved his hands and nodded, "Okay, okay, hermana. I'll tell you my fucking story. But you'd better not tell anyone or else…"

Alex clicked her tongue and pantomimed a gun to her temple, the same way he often did. Vaas blinked when he saw it, mainly because it was _his_ thing… _his_ habit, but it looked good when she did it. It was like being… beautifully threatening. "You shoot me in the head. I know. I won't tell anyone, Vaas."

Vaas huffed a breath, before he leaned back, crossing his arms and looking up in the ceiling like he was thinking, "Let me see… it started twenty years for me, too…"


	18. Chapter 17: Where He Began

"I was a Rakyat once, hermana. A fucking tribe boy. I lived with my parents and my fucking sister in this island. We were a typical Rakyat family, even though my mother was Spanish/ Rakyat woman, the people of the town loved her. They all loved my fucking parents because they were so fucking great."

"It was peaceful, you know? Too fucking quiet. The only time we had any problems was if some fucking carnivore animal got into the village. That was it. The parents of the kids, including mine… they trained us boys. Trying to turn us into men. Do you know how they fucking trained us, hermana? They'd make us kill the animals. I killed a tiger once, you know. It was fucking great. My father loved it, said I'd make a great fucking warrior like him and his fucking bloodline."

"My sister, Citra… she was smart, you know. She studied the shitty Rakyat ways, the fucking Rakyat religion. The people thought she'd be the next priestess after my mother, and that we'd be a fucking powerful team… the bullshit priestess and her fucking warrior."

"And then one day, hermana, one day… my mother died. The people don't know why, but I did. Citra… that fucking bitch… she killed her. She poisoned her water with some fucking thing she whipped up herself from studying plants. My father didn't know about it. He thought that she just got sick. So he moved on. And the fucking people chose Citra to be their next priestess."

"But me… I began hating my fucking sister. She killed our mother just to get her fucking throne and her fucking temple. But she wanted more. She wanted to fucking rule all of Rook Island."

"So this one day, right? This one day after I come back from hunting, Citra was at the temple. Just fucking standing there, with her fucking disciples. And then she tells me, 'Vaas, the time to take our place has come.' And she showed me our father, fucking bleeding all over the damn temple. She attacked him, stabbing him all over until he was weak from all his wounds. He got her good a few times though… gave her a fucking black eye. But he was dying. He was weak. And that was what she wanted."

"So this bitch turns to me, no? And she goes, 'Do you want to take your place, Vaas? Then kill your father. He is a threat to our rule.' The fucking disciples say it was the Rakyat way… when a warrior is near death, they should granted fucking mercy… like it was the right fucking thing to do. I couldn't do it, but Citra… she fucked with my head. She called me a coward, a weakling, not a warrior."

"There was a time I would do anything for my sister… I mean the first time I ever killed was for my sister."

"Not enough for her. No no no no no, please… you see the thing about our loved ones, right? Our FUCKING LOVED ONES! They come and they BLINDSIDE you every fucking time! So they say to me.. they say 'Vaas! Vaas… who THE FUCK is it going to be?! THEM OR ME?! ME! OR THEM! Haha… like they fucking think that I need to make a fucking choice."

"So I fucking kill my father, right? He's dying anyway. And then Citra tries to undress me. And I was like, 'what the fuck are you doing?!'. And she says… she says… she wants me to impregnate her, to give birth to a supreme warrior who will lead the Rakyat. The fucking bastard would have my strength and her brains. But I fucking had it, no? Citra… she was a bitch. I couldn't stand her face; her fucking preachy ways… she just wants the fucking island. So I fuck up her face, no? I punched the fucking lights out of her and left. The fucking people wanted me to stay and rule with her. But no no no no please. I don't fucking want to stay in that fucking village anymore. So I fucking left. I found Hoyt when I was wandering around the forest for myself. He told me… he told me, he got power, no? He can help me take over the Rakyat. Kill them all after everything that Citra and her fucking followers did. And he gave me money, and drugs… and I fucking loved it."

"You ever been to the south side of the camp, hermana? I keep my fucking trophies there; you know… heads of the fucking rejects. But there's a special one there, no? A very special fucking pole… a nice, shiny fucking pole… for my sister's head, you know. It's perfect for her. Maybe I come show it to you sometime."

"And there you go. That's my fucking story, hermana. Now shut the fuck up about my family, no?"


	19. Chapter 18: The Stolen Kiss

Alex continued to watch Vaas as he paced the floor of her room. He had stood up after speaking about his sister, raging as he punched the chair away, and she remained quiet. She could see that like her, Vaas kept his anger concerning his sister for the longest time. She suddenly understood why he was the way he is. Like her mother said when she was younger, he had let the black wolf inside him win. He fed it so well that he turned into this… a man who was angry with the world after they told him to kill his loved ones.

Vaas was staring at her now, the rage still evident in his eyes, and she sighed, "That's a tough way to become an orphan, hermano."

The man blinked, realizing that she said the same thing he told her, and he smirked before laughing out loud. "Well, fuck you, hermana. You had it worse."

"Shut up. _We_ had it worse. I doubt anybody else would have that kind of life." Alex said, relaxing a little bit, releasing her arms from hugging her knees and sitting on the edge of the bed.

Vaas huffed, but he was smiling, "Yeah. Fucked up world we live in, eh?"

Alex nodded, still looking up at Vaas, and pirate sat down at the floor in front of her. "Well, I answered your question, hermana. It's your turn."

She thought for a while, but they were interrupted with a knock on the door, "Vaas!" She recognized Jose's voice. "Hoyt just called. He said the stuff for Alex has arrived."

Alex blinked, remembering what she was supposed to do, and looked down at Vaas. The pirate king's hard look returned at his face as he stood up. "Okay! Fuck off, no? I'll be there in a minute."

Vaas looked down at her, before bending over, "What was your question, hermana?"

She swallowed, "What happens now?"

He smirked, "What happens now is… with the stuff you asked for arriving, we're going to get the money from those fuckers no? Nigel and Gunther… we going to clean out their account, no? Would you like that?"

Something inside Alex seemed to growl with pleasure at the thought that the two men who almost raped her would be punished by this man, and she nodded. "Yeah. That would be great."

Vaas grinned, the skin around his eyes and cheeks wrinkling again, before he reached out. Alex cringed a little, but she was shocked when the pirate lord merely ran a hand on her hair, before tilting her head up from her chin. "Now, my last question… exactly how old are you, hermana?"

"Twenty-nine." She replied, "Why do you ask?"

"Because I'm twenty seven… and it just happens that I'm into cougars."

Alex blinked, before Vaas grabbed her head roughly, tilting up her head, before he bent over and kissed her roughly on the lips. She felt his tongue reach out and taste her, his breath hot at her cheek. She raised her hands to push the pirate away, and he did, making him laugh. She felt her face become warm again as she scooted against the wall again away from him.

"You're pretty when you blush, hermana." Vaas laughed as he backed up towards the door, "You turn the most adorable shade of _rojo_ when you blush, no? Anyway, I get your fucking stuff, yeah? Then you get their fucking money, every fucking cent… and then we're going to have a little fun here on my island no?"

Vaas left her room, chuckling as he went, leaving Alex on her bed, blushing.


	20. Chapter 19: Professor Kidd

The next day, as Vaas said, the stuff she needed were set up in one of the tents a little ways off Vaas' hut. The pirate lord had wanted it to set up in their hut, but the computers she had asked for couldn't fit in her room, so the pirates set it up in a tent with a wide clearing nearby, near the edge of the forest. It displeased him, Alex noticed, and the pirate lord cursed at his men before getting rid of the reject captives savagely, making Alex shiver at their sounds of pain and begs for mercy, before a shot would ring out the camp, followed by Vaas' maniacal laugh.

Jose accompanied her from Vaas' hut to the tent, and Alex looked around again. As Vaas had said, in the clearing opposite of the tent, there were poles with various heads on them, stinking and with flies swarming around their decomposing eyes. The one pole that Vaas said was reserved for his sister's head stood at the very center of the poles, towering above others, the bamboo cleaned and trimmed. Jose told her that the people who Vaas killed were those who he considered worthless, those who had no one to pay the ransom.

"You are lucky you are so smart, nona." Jose said, "Or else your head would be in one of those poles."

Alex swallowed, "Yeah, I owe that to Kidd, actually. He made sure I got the best education." She looked around the camp to look for the man, "Where is he, anyway?"

"Oh, Mr. Kidd?" Jose said, pointing at the kitchen tent, "He helps out with the cook in the kitchen before he teaches us. He is really good, you know." Jose looked a little forlorn, "Vaas… he makes sure that we're just as ruthless as him. And Mr. Kidd, he's a great fighter and teacher. I'm not really… good at fighting."

"I actually find that surprising." Alex admitted, "Why?"

Jose shrugged, "I don't know. Vaas trained us to fight and shoot, but sometimes, my hits are a little ways off, or my bullets don't hit. I've been training hard with Mr. Kidd, though."

She shrugged, "I would've thought that Vaas was the kind that killed people like you, Jose."

"Oh, he is, nona." Jose said, and Alex blinked, "I've seen several of our soldiers killed by Vaas himself. He really doesn't like people who disobey his orders or steal from him or take what is his…"

"Hey, Alex!"

Alex and Jose turned around to see Kidd running towards them, a group of soldiers walking behind him. At the sight of the elder man, Alex's face split into a grin and she opened her arms. The elder man grinned back and scooped her up, spinning her in a circle in a bear hug before putting her down.

"It's good to see you, kid!" Kidd said as they walked towards the clearing, the men behind him starting to settle down in crates, chairs or on the ground in the clearing. "Vaas finally let you out of that hut eh? I've been wanting to see you for days!"

"Well, I'm out, but under guard." She said pointing at Jose "Is it time for your combat classes then?"

At this the elder man laughed, pointing at the men around them, "Yep, these boys need some training' yeah? Some of them can't hit the broad side of a barn with a rocket launcher. But they're shaping up. I kind of missed it you know… teaching people to fight."

"Mind if I watched?" Alex said, "You did promise to teach me, you know."

Kidd bent over and winked, "I promised to teach you to kill. And I'll do that. But I think it would be a good idea if we showed these boys just exactly how capable you are, right?"

Alex grinned wickedly, before nodding. Kidd winked again before heading to the center of the clearing, while she and Jose moved to the circle, where one of the men… the one she recognized as the one grabbing his crotch at her when they went to Hoyt… stood behind her and started staring at her ass.

"Okay, you maggots!" Kidd shouted at the circle, "Today we're going to continue our lesson at CQC… close quarter combat."

Alex smiled as she looked at Kidd, seeing the look on his face saying that he was enjoying teaching the men around him… like an excited preschool teacher with her students. Growing up, she knew Kidd was like her in some way. While she loved her work at giving information to her clients at Nigel's library, Kidd loved teaching everything he knew about combat to people who really wanted it. She looked around, seeing Vaas' men watching the man with concentrated look on their faces, taking in every word he was saying, when her eyes collided with familiar eyes on the other side of the circle.

Vaas stood at the back, his arms crossed on his chest, staring hard at her. His position made the muscles in his chest and arms bunch out of his shirt, and Alex stared at them. She had to admit, Vaas' physique was pretty intimidating… and hot. Throughout her life, the men who courted her never looked as… dangerous as him, and something about that danger in him made her stare at him.

Vaas moved, spreading his stance, and Alex looked back at his eyes. He was staring hard at her, smirking, and she blinked. He pouted his lips, smacking them as if giving her a kiss, before biting his lips and looked down… at his crotch. His eyes burned with what looked like lust, and she felt her face burn hotly. She diverted her gaze back to Kidd, seeing Vaas grin delightedly in her peripheral vision.

"Any of ya'll remember what I told you before about CQC?" Kidd asked, and Jose nodded.

"You said to go for their weak points." Jose answered, and Kidd clapped his hands, "Good kid! Yeah, use your opponent's weak points. Remember, the body moves a certain direction. If you move it to the opposite of that direction, it'll cause them pain, and that's the moment you can attack their ass."

"Oh? Use their weak points, eh?" The man behind her said, leering at her, "Something like this?"

The man shoved his hand roughly against Alex's ass, grabbing her crotch, and she reacted. In a blink of an eye, she turned, and using her elbow, she pushed it forcefully into the man's face, squishing his nose and cracking the cartilage. Even Jose, who stood beside her, never saw her movement, and he stared in shock as the man cried out in pain and fell to the ground, clutching his broken nose.

"STUPID BITCH!" The man cried out from the ground, and Alex stood back as she stared accusingly at the man. She looked up at Kidd, who nodded proudly at her and then to Vaas, whose face had darkened and was staring at the man behind her, his hands balled into fists.

"That's what you get for being a horny toad, Craig." Kidd said, before turning to look at the circle, "Did any of you see what she did? She used a pointy part of her body… her elbow, and she used her speed to make the hit harder. The force of your hit depends on your speed and your mass. Now Alex here… she's a small girl, but she makes up for it in speed, agility, flexibility and stamina…"

But the man, Craig, interrupted the class by grabbing Alex's ankle, making her react again. She lifted her other foot and swiftly flung it forward, hitting Craig in the face, before she used the force to fling herself backward into a back flip. She walked backwards until she was in the middle of the circle.

"Looks like Craig is volunteering for an exhibition match." Kidd said behind her, before putting a hand on her shoulder. "You're up for it, Alex?"

Alex stared down at the pirate, and she seethed, "Oh, fuck yeah."


	21. Chapter 20: Exhibition Match

She stepped back and got into a battle stance, fury raging inside her from Craig's disrespectful attitude. Kidd grinned before turning to Craig.

"Stand the fuck up, and fight her, Craig." Kidd said before turning to the circle, "Now everybody watch, and learn, yeah? Because this little girl right here? She going to show you how to fucking kick ass."

Alex grinned and cracked her knuckles, getting into a fighting stance as Craig scrambled up to his feet and started walking towards her.

"You stupid bitch! You're going to fucking pay for that!" He yelled, before lunging out an arm to punch her, but Alex shifted aside, grabbing his wrist in mid-air with her left hand and using her right to punch directly under his armpit. Craig yelled in pain, but she moved under his arm and twisted it, pulling on his palm forcefully. She kicked at the back of the man's knees, making him kneel on the ground, at the same time pulling at the arm.

"You see that?" Kidd said to his audience, "She's twisting the shoulder backwards, pulling the elbow upward and the wrist backwards. Three weak points. Do you think you can do that?"

"YOU FUCKING BITCH!" Craig yelled in pain, "I'm going to fucking murder you!"

Kidd laughed, "Let him go, Alex. Looks like he wants some more."

Alex laughed out loud before letting go of Craig and moving a bit backwards, getting into a battle stance again. Craig grunted as he got his arm back, before growling as he charged at her again. She ducked down low, flinging out a leg, causing him to trip and hit his face on the ground.

"YEAH! You go, Alex!" She heard Jose shout, and she turned to him with a grin, but she was seized from behind by Craig, who had his arms around her neck.

"Gotcha you fucking whore!" He shouted as he tightened his grip on her throat. Kidd raised his panicked eyes at her, and Vaas pulled out his gun, but she just grinned before rearing back her arm, and driving her elbow into his ribs.

Craig grunted in pain, letting go of her for a little, and she continued by forcefully stepping on Craig's foot before rearing her head forward. She flung her head back, hearing the crunch of his nose again and making him yell as he let go of her. Finally, she drew her leg forward and flung it back as well between his spread legged stance, and hit him in the groin.

Several "ooohhhs" of pain echoed throughout the crowd as she hit him hard on the crotch, causing him to roll down on the ground in pain, whimpering as he massaged his pieces. Alex stood beside Kidd, her hands on her hips, turning to her friend's audience.

"And that, guys… is called the S.I.N.G. method." She said, grinning as Kidd laughed out loud beside her, "Solar plexus, Instep, Nose and Groin. One of the most effective moves when you're being held from behind. "

Kidd's eyes watered with tears of laughter, "And that people… is why you shouldn't take this girl lightly." He bent down in front of Craig, "I taught her for twenty years, man! You got some balls disrespecting a woman like this."

"And you got some fucking balls to disrespect my ORDERS!" Vaas shouted from outside of the ring, walking towards Craig briskly. Alex felt the fury in him as she and Kidd stood aside. The pirate king grabbed the man's shirt, and kneeled above him, trapping the man.

"WHAT THE FUCK DID I TELL YOU, PENDEJO?!" Vaas shouted as he reared his head back and head butting Craig on the face. "WHAT THE FUCK DID I TELL YOU, HUH?! SHE IS NOT MERCHANDISE! YOU DON'T FUCKING TOUCH HER! BUT DID YOU LISTEN, MOTHERFUCKER?! DID YOU LISTEN?! YOU FUCKING PENDEJO!"

Vaas continued to headbutt Craig, the other man's nose breaking into several pieces by now. Blood had starting painting Vaas' forehead red, his bright green eyes wide in manic anger. Alex was surprised at his ruthlessness against his men. Sure, Craig assaulted her and that he was just getting what he deserved, but there was something strange about how the way he fought with Craig. It was almost like he hated the fact that she got disrespected.

Like he had cared.

Alex reached out a hand and gently put it on Vaas' shoulder, afraid that he might fling her back, but the pirate king merely stopped moving, and looked down at the hand on his shoulder. He was breathing hard, but he had stopped.

"Vaas, it's over. He's blacked out." Alex said, as she looked around, "You can stop now."

"Motherfucker didn't listen to me." Vaas said as he stared at her hand, "NO ONE DISOBEYS MY FUCKING ORDERS."

"I know." She said, before looking down disdainfully at Craig, "Get him caged up… or something. We're disrupting Kidd's class, so it seems."

Vaas looked around at his men, seeing them looking at him, but he just grinned, "And that's another method of close quarter combat, no? Head butt them until they fucking black-out."

His men laughed out loud, cheering at their leader, and Kidd grinned. Vaas stood up from his place above Craig and mentioned to his men. "Somebody cage this motherfucker up, no? I'm going to chill, hermano."

"You got it, boss!" Jose said eagerly, and he and three other guys went forward. Alex pulled on Vaas' hand, and he looked down at her, blood painting his face. He was scowling at her, looking menacing.

She swallowed and raised her hand up, touching his forehead gently. The pirate blinked at her touch as he looked down at her, his raging look fading a little. "You've got a cut on your forehead, Vaas." She said, seeing a gash on his forehead, probably when he smashed his head against Craig's teeth.

"It's nothing." Vaas said, waving his hand and smacking it against her arm, keeping her away. He looked at her warily, but she sighed and looked at him sternly.

"A pirate leader can't lead when he's got an infection. " She said, "And with the conditions here, it's bound to get infected. Come on, we'll clean it up."

But rage entered Vaas' features again, and he reached out and grasped Alex's neck, choking her. "Are you trying to disobey me too, hermana? Huh?" He seethed, bringing her face close to his, "Just because you can show these fuckers that you can kick ass doesn't mean you can fuck with me, okay?"

"Fine then. Get a fucking infection." Alex angrily replied back, "Get sick, and get fucking gangrene on your head so that it can go to your brain and destroy it. And then maybe someone else from your men would lead instead of you. Maybe Citra could hang your head on a pole instead. Did you ever think of that, _hermano?!_"

Vaas stared hard at her, panting in anger, but she was right. If anything happened to him, his army was bound to be taken over by the Rakyat or do something incredibly stupid. He took a deep breath and let her go, and Alex stepped back from him, breathing in deep, before taking his hand and dragging him towards the tent where her equipment was.


	22. Chapter 21: Her Hidden Talents

The tent was in disarray because of the stuff Hoyt had bought for her, but at least there were a couple of chairs. She pushed Vaas towards one of the chairs before looking around in her pockets, looking for that first aid kit Kidd had given her before. She placed it on a table, grabbed a canteen of water that she had found, and used the corner of her cardigan to wet it before sitting in front of Vaas. The pirate king watched her, his eyes sharp, as she sat down in front of him.

"This might sting a little, Vaas." She said, but Vaas merely stayed silent. She raised the shirt and started wiping the blood away, being very careful with the wound. "Ow… that looks nasty."

But the pirate lord remained silent, watching her as she continued to tend to him. She wanted to speak to him, but she knew that in his rage, he'd probably doesn't want to talk to anyone. She sighed as she finished clearing the blood and took the antiseptic, and dabbed the wound.

The medicine probably stung like hell, but Vaas merely sat there, expressionless, watching her as if he didn't feel any pain. She continued to clean the wound as the pirate continued to watch her.

"No gauze, hermana." Vaas said suddenly, making her look down at him and she was about to reply when he spoke again, "Just slather some iodine there to seal it."

Vaas looked a little pissed, so she just nodded and did what he said, using some anti-septic cream and iodine to cover up the wound. When she was done, she leaned back and surveyed her handiwork.

"There you go. All cleaned up." She said, stowing the medicine she used back into her med kit.

"How long have you been fighting like that, Alex?" Vaas asked her, and she looked down at the pirate, before sighing, standing up and clearing up the bloodied cardigan and cotton balls.

"Ever since Kidd adopted me." She answered truthfully, "He figured that teaching me martial arts and close quarter combat might help me someday. And it did. I defended myself whenever he left somewhere, and it helped me when Nigel and Gunther tried to rape me, and when that fucker of yours Craig touched me."

"But you didn't fight back to me, hermana." Vaas said and she blinked, "Not like the way you just did."

Alex looked down at Vaas, surprised at the man's assumption, and she racked her brains for the reason why she didn't use her skills against him. "You… surprised me when you shoved me to the ground, and you pinned me under you, remember."

"Okay." Vaas said simply, "What else did Kidd teach you?"

She turned away from him, smiling as she remembered her past with the elder man, "Sniper rifles. Kidd was an avid outdoorsman, and he loved to hunt so much. Depending on the season, he would take me with him when he would hunt, and he taught me to shoot a sniper rifle by the time I was sixteen." Vaas nodded slightly, and she looked at him confused, "Why the sudden interests in my fighting skills, Vaas?"

The pirate lord stood up, staring at her as he walked, and she shivered. The same wanting look in his eyes that she had seen moments ago appeared again, and she swallowed as she took a step back away from the man. Vaas continued to walk towards her… slow, deliberate steps… stalking steps, before her back collided with the wall behind her, and Vaas trapped her with his body in front of her.

"Because when I saw you fighting, hermana…" Vaas whispered in her ear, making her turn away from the man as his breath tickled her, "It turned me on, no? You got such strong… powerful legs. I want to be between those legs, hermana." She grimaced as Vaas' tongue snaked out of his mouth, licking the sensitive shell in her ear, his hot breath against her neck making her shiver. "Let me fuck you between those legs, Alex."

But Alex's face hardened and she turned towards him, her eyes shining with a bit of anger and determination that the pirate drew back a little. "No." she said simply, staring back at him, trying to be brave. Vaas stared hard at her, seeing the fury in his eyes at being denied, but he merely smirked.

"You keep putting that brave face, princesa." Vaas said, separating from her and walking out towards the door, and she heaved a sigh of relief. "We'll see how long you last. I promise."


	23. Chapter 22: Men Down

"VAAS! VAAS!"

Alex stood up from her position underneath the table she was drilling for the wirings of her computer, when she heard Jose shouting from outside. She pushed herself up, wiping her hands on a rag, before opening the tent and looking around… and colliding directly against Jose. She fell on her ass to the ground, while Jose merely stumbled backwards.

"Oh! Sorry, Miss Alex!" Jose said as she looked up, just as Vaas went over to them, grinning at the sight of Alex on her ass. "You just sorta… popped up."

"Fine. Blame me. You're the one running like the devil is behind you." Alex muttered as she groaned, and Vaas laughed harder as he bent over and looked at Alex, "You okay, hermana?"

She looked up at Vaas and grinned bitterly, "Yeah, I'm just peachy, Vaas. I just thought it would be nice to sit around and enjoy the day." She seethed as she rubbed her butt, wincing.

Vaas grinned again as he held out a hand, and Alex took it, and the pirate pulled her up, looking all over at her, seeing her pants dirty. She reached back and started patting her pants clean, and Vaas did the same, patting down her legs. As his hands got higher, reaching up to Alex's butt, she smacked his hand away, earning a scowl from him.

"I can clean that part, Vaas." She told him, scowling at him, but the scowl in his face disappeared, and it was replaced with a grin. He raised his hands in mock surrender as he grinned at her, "Just wanted to make sure that part of yours is okay, hermana."

"Don't concern yourself, Vaas." Alex said as she finished patting her rear, before looking up at Vaas, "My butt is fine… and it is none of your business."

Vaas blinked, and laughed again at her, grabbing her around the waist and making her collide to his body, and she stared defiantly up to his bright green eyes, "It IS my business, hermana… because I want to be the one to hurt it before anything else does."

She rolled her eyes and smacked at his chest, and he let go of her, "Personally, I think Jose has a more important thing to say than my bruised assets." She turned towards Jose, and Vaas stood to her back, wrapping his arms around her upper chest and waist. She rolled her eyes as the pirate looked at Jose over her shoulder, "You were saying, Jose?"

Jose blinked, looking at them. Alex stood with her hands on her hips, looking annoyed, while Vaas' arms wrapped around her, his face grinning at him from her shoulder. He shook his head, "Vaas… we got five men down with a really nasty case of fever. One of them is even bleeding."

At this, Vaas separated from her, standing beside her as Alex blinked in shock, "Has the doctor been around?" Vaas asked, his brows knit in fury.

"No, I'm afraid not. Dr. Earnhardt's pretty busy. I heard there's been a fever outbreak in Hoyt's camp, too." Jose said, "He's probably attending to that."

Vaas turned around and put his hands on his hips, gritting his teeth furiously. Alex could see the rage in him, boiling inside, and she turned to Jose. "Take me to them, Jose."

Jose blinked as he looked at her, before looking at Vaas. The pirate lord looked at her hard, staring at her, before nodding at him. Jose nodded back, "Follow me, Miss Alex."

The man led Alex off into one of the tents, with Vaas following behind them. He opened up the flap to reveal five men on the cots, and some of his soldiers tending to them. One of them was bleeding already through the nose, with his buddy cleaning his face every so often.

At the sight of her, the men put their hands on their pistols, only to see that Vaas was directly behind her. The pirate lord waved a hand, and the men relaxed as Alex bent over the bleeding man.

She reached out a hand, and placed it on the man's forehead, her eyes softening with pity. "How long has this been going on?"

"Several days, Miss Alex." Jose answered as Alex looked back at Vaas, "Vaas. Where was that tablet computer I had? Give it to me."

Vaas reached behind him, taking the tablet from his back, and gave it to her. She settled down on the floor on her knees, tapping at the tablet, and Vaas bend behind her to see what she was doing. He saw that she was connecting using her GPRS and was starting to use the InterNet, "What are you doing, hermana?"

"When I was in the Philippines…" She said slowly, looking at the screen of her tablet, "I heard about a sickness carried by mosquitoes. I just want to make sure that I get the symptoms right."

The men watched as Alex looked over her tablet and the man, scrolling through it with her finger, her brows knit in concentration. He watched as she gently took the men's arms, looking at them, shushing them gently when they moan out in pain. He smirked to himself at the thought that a woman would be gentle with a bunch of blood thirsty murderers. He continued to watch her, liking the look of genuine worry on her face. Finally, she straightened.

"I know what it is." She said, looking up at Vaas as she stood up. She raised her tablet to Vaas, "Its dengue fever… well, I'm not sure, but we can't really do any testing on them unless there's a doctor around. But we can do something to help them."

Vaas and his men looked down at her, surprised, before the pirate lord nodded, "What do you want, amiga?"

"I need lots of aloe vera." Alex said as she left the tent, walking outside. Jose and Vaas followed her, along with some of the men. "As many as you can gather. I want them cleaned and the pulp from them put in bottles. We're going to have them drink it. See if you can find a doctor who has a stock of vitamin C. And eggs, lots of them. I want them boiled and fed to the men."

Vaas and the men looked at each other, unsure of what to do, and it angered Alex. "Your men are dying and you're just standing there? MOVE, MOTHERFUCKERS!"

The men blinked before they dispersed, and Vaas scowled at her as she put her hands on her hips. She reached out an arm and pulled at Jose. "Jose, I want lots of towels, cold water and ice. We have to get the men's fever down, too."

"Okay." The man said, running towards the kitchen, leaving her with Vaas, who was still scowling at her. She blinked and looked up at him, "What are you scowling at, Vaas?"

The pirate shrugged, "Hermana, if I were you, I'd shoot them in the head. They're worthless to me."

Alex rolled her eyes, "Vaas, a bullet costs more than frigging aloe vera or medicines. Are you really that cold to let your men die?"

Vaas leaned forward, bringing his face to hers, and she shivered. He had a murderous look in his eyes and she swallowed, putting her brave face again. "Yes. I am."

Alex blinked at the sincerity of Vaas's answer, which showed that he really was ready to kill his men. His blood thirst made her angry, and she pushed at him, surprising the pirate lord, and she seethed at him, "You may kill people, Vaas. But I, unfortunately, am not that heartless. I don't care if they're fucking murderers, rapists and drug addicts. They are people in need of help, and I'll help them if I can."

The pirate lord scoffed, "They'll kill you when I order them to, hermana."

"Then they'll kill me. End of story." Alex said, striding back towards the tent, and the pirate watched her walk away. "But _I_ won't let them die this way. Not if I can stop it."

Alex strode back angrily to the sick men's tent, and Vaas watched her. Her profile from the back was just as pleasing to his eyes as her profile up front, with her hips curving to an ample rear and long slim legs. He grinned to himself at the thought of having her in bed, before he headed back to his hut.


	24. Chapter 23: The Doctor

The silver haired man was swaying a bit but as he straightened up from his ride in the truck, he coughed and walked a little straighter, swallowing his nervousness away as Vaas stood in front of the jeep watching him. He got his bag and headed to him slowly, careful of the men as they watched him come near their leader.

"You took your fucking time, hermano." Vaas said as he got close, "The next batch was supposed to be delivered yesterday."

"I… I'm sorry." The old man said, "But you cannot rush my work, Vaas. You know that I had to do some testing before I give the merchandise to you."

Vaas scoffed as he walked with the old man towards the sick tent, "What the fuck ever, old man. Go look at my men. They've been feverish for days."

"Ahh yes, your man mentioned it to me." The old man said, pointing at his driver, "I'm afraid dengue fever is in season among the Amanaki, they probably got infected as well. I will do what I can for them."

Vaas hummed in assent as he opened the flap of the tent for the doctor, before coming inside, only to see that the doctor stood still by the door. "Oh my…" The doctor muttered, and Vaas looked at where he was looking.

Alex sat on a chair, her torso and head bent over one of his men's bed, her hair flaring down her back. She fell asleep, holding on a wet rag, her breath even as she slept. The man she was tending to looked a little better, and was sleeping better. A couple of the sick were sitting up, their fever gone, and eating porridge from a bowl by themselves. Vaas blinked in shock at his men's improvements, as the doctor looked around as well.

The man on the bed… which he recognized as Carlos, his ammunitions man, groaned out and Alex started awake, pushing herself up as he moved. She tucked a stray hair to the back of her ear and bent over the man, "How do you feel?"

Carlos blinked as he looked up at Alex, his eyes still groggy, "Are… are you an angel?"

Alex let out a small laugh, the sound of it stirring something in Vaas, "No, I'm afraid not. You're still in Vaas' camp. My name is Alex. How do you feel? Can you move?"

Carlos shook his head a little, "I feel a little weak. And my name is Carlos. What happened to me?"

Alex reached out a hand and touched his forehead gently, before smiling at him, "You've had dengue fever, I'm afraid. You've been feverish for days. But you're temperature is normal again, so I think you'll be fine." She stood up from her seat, "I'll see if I can get you some food, too."

She turned around, her gentle smile fading as she saw Vaas and the elderly man beside him. He was slightly smaller than Vaas, looking thin and frail, with dirty brown pant and shirt, and a green jacket stained white with powders. She blinked as she looked up at him. "Vaas."

Vaas scowled down at her before pointing at the man beside him, "This is Dr. Alec Earnhardt. He's the local… chemist in the area. He's got your fucking medicine. Doctor, this is Alex."

She scowled up the pirate, before smiling down and holding her hand out at the old man… Dr. Earnhardt. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Earnhardt."

The old man looked up at her, staring at her as he grasped her hand in both of his, surprising Alex. "You… look just like my Agnes…."

Alex looked up confused at Vaas, who merely scowled, before she looked back down at Alec, "Agnes…?"

"My daughter." Dr. Earnhardt said, looking sad, "She died… when she was very little… fallen from my window apartment. She looks just like you… she was a gentle soul…"

"I'm… sorry to hear that." Alex said as she drew her hand away, and the doctor looked a little forlorn as she stepped back, "But we have other matters to attend to. You might want to examine the men, Doctor."

Dr. Earnhardt shook his head a little, "Oh… of course, forgive me." He shuffled towards Carlos, who had gone back to sleep, "I am… not really a doctor. I'm a chemist, but I'll see what I can do for these men."

Alex nodded as she followed the elderly man, who took the men's vitals and temperature, while Vaas remained by the flap of the tent, smoking a cigarette. He watched Alex as her face looked worried over his men again, and he scoffed. The woman doesn't make any sense. Why would she be worried over a bunch of fucking mercenaries?

Finally, the doctor finished his rounds and headed back to Vaas, with Alex following him. "Well, I must say, I am quite surprised." The doctor said as he looked at Alex, "Their fever is gone, and they're already recovering. Give them three more days of bed rest and they would be up in no time. You did very well, Miss Alex."

Alex smiled at him, "Thank you, doctor."

Dr. Earnhardt produced a bag of pills and a bottle. He gave the bag to Alex, who looked at them. "Here… give them this. Its vitamins and iron for them. I had to… use tropical plants for them, but they should work… just as well."

She nodded, "Of course. I'm about to feed some of them, so I should probably give them these right now. Thank you, Doctor."

Dr. Earnhardt and Vaas watched as the woman ran off, shouting towards the kitchen for some more porridge. The doctor then gave the bottle to Vaas, who pocketed it. "The latest batch… but it's rather potent."

Vaas huffed as they stepped out, heading back to Dr. Earnhardt's jeep. "That woman… she is not a captive?"

"Hoyt wanted to keep her alive." Vaas answered, "If it had been me, I would've fucking sold her."

"Don't." The doctor said, earning a scowl from Vaas, "She is smart, and she is kind. She would be a good thing for your camp."

"She's too fucking merciful. She won't last out here." Vaas said, taking a drag of his cigarette again, "Those guys will fuck her if she keeps that nice fucking lady act."

Dr. Earnhardt looked at him sadly, "Are you going to let them? Are you going to let them have her, Vaas?"

Vaas turned towards the man, scowling, "If she becomes useless to me, then yes, I will let them have her. Before I shoot her in the fucking head."

The doctor blinked, "I wish you wouldn't do that."

"Yeah? Why the fuck not, hermano?"

"She is good for you." The doctor said, and Vaas blinked, "She has everything that you have been devoid of. Mercy, pity, kindness… maybe even love. Give her a chance, Vaas. You may find everything you have wanted in your life in her."

"Yeah, yeah… whatever, old fucker." The doctor went back to his jeep, and Vaas flipped him the finger, "Now get the fuck, out of here. Disappear."

The jeep backed up and left the camp, and Vaas remained standing, smoking his cigarette. He couldn't help but think about what the doctor said, but he scoffed. What could Alex possibly have that he wanted? He was a crazed druggie and a murderer. Everyone in the island feared him. Even his own men did.

But not her.

She's been doing her best to act brave, but he knew she was scared of him. But every time she looked at him, her eyes flashing blue with courage and a bit of anger, he couldn't help but feel like she really was not afraid of him. It pissed him off… greatly… but he liked her when she acted brave like that. It made her intimidating yet sexy, and he liked that about her.

He felt a grin pull on the corner of his lips when he thought about her flashing blue eyes, and he grinned to himself as he went back to check on his men.


	25. Chapter 24: The Kingslayer Visits

Alex was busy setting up her network to hack into Nigel and Gunther's accounts… putting together the computer, fixing the GPRS signal so that she could connect to the InterNet, making sure that the transactions she made would be untraceable, as well as researching on ways to be able to teach Jose to read.

Vaas didn't visit her that day, or for the four days after that, which she felt was good, since the man's ways was beginning to affect her. He was ruthless and pushy, and there was something about him that… attracted her. She finally understood what all those women back in the city felt like when they see a handsome but dangerous looking man.

She busied herself with hacking into all of Nigel and Gunther's accounts, collecting several billion from Gunther, and with teaching Jose to read. The man was a fast learner, but she was shocked when she found out that the next day, Jose had brought four more men with him who can't read, and then three more after that. As it turned out, some of Vaas' men didn't study in school at all, since they were more educated by the Rakyat. Kidd had thought that it would be a good idea to set up a small classroom in the clearing outside of the tent she was working in, and the men she was teaching helped her by making a blackboard, made of a large piece of plywood and painted black, and they found chalk from one of the towns. And so Alex suddenly turned into a teacher.

She taught them to read and write, and do maths, since some of them didn't know how to count past ten at all. At the end of the fourth day, she had a total of ten 'students' in her class, including the cook, who can do maths, but can't write or read.

At the fifth day, while she was teaching the men, she was surprised to see Vaas and Hoyt walking towards the clearing. The pirate lord blinked in shock as she stood in the front of the men teaching pronunciation, but she averted her gaze and turned her attention back to the lesson. She snuck a glance at them as she wrote something on the board, surprised to see Hoyt smiling at her as Vaas glowered.

An hour later, she declared the class dismissed, and the men stood up from their seat on the ground, thanking her and saying that they'll see her tomorrow. Jose saw Vaas and Hoyt, before looking at Alex in alarm. She nodded reassuringly at the man, and he nodded back, before heading up to the kitchens to help the cook. She took a deep breath and pasted a smile on her face as she headed to Vaas and Hoyt.

"Mr. Volker." She said, her professional air about her, "I am surprised to see you here."

"Miss Steele." Hoyt replied, his face splitting into a smile, "I have just received word that the money from the accounts of Nigel and Gunther has arrived into one of my false accounts… amounting to 35 million in total." His smile widened into a fully fledged grin, "You have made me a very rich man, my friend."

She nodded back at him, and Hoyt looked around, "Although I must say, this amazes me more. Kidd is training the men at fighting, and you are teaching the men to read. It's almost like you were meant to come here to make a difference to these men, hmm?"

She blinked, "I do not think it's like that Mr. Volker. I am a librarian… providing information to people is my job. It just so happened that Vaas' men can't even read or understand the word 'flammable'."

Vaas' face darkened, and she was sure he felt like she insulted his men. But the pirate grinned at her, "That's actually very true, hermana. I've had several of my boys burned to bits because of that. They can't fucking understand 'off-limits' or 'explosives', too."

"Well, then it's good that she came into this island, right, Vaas?" Hoyt said, patting his back. Alex watched as Vaas looked a little angry at the man touching him, gritting his teeth so hard that the muscles in his jaw were bunching.

"Anyway, the reason I am here, Ms. Steele." Hoyt continued, "I've recently acquired several hostages... very, very rich and influential men… so it would seem. I would like to do the same thing you did… open up their accounts and transfer their money to one of my accounts. Do you think you could do that?"

Alex blinked in surprise, and she stole a glance at Kidd, remembering his words. _Act like them. Fight like them. Even kill like them._

"I would need their passwords and their information, Mr. Volker." She said finally, "As well as any card they might have in their wallets… preferably ATM cards."

Hoyt nodded, "I'll have Vaas provide them for you." He reached out a hand, and Alex put her hand in his in a handshake, "Thank you, Ms. Steele. You have been very invaluable since you arrived. If you want anything, you tell me or Vaas, and we'll get it for you."

"Can I take a bath?" She blurted out, thinking of the one thing she had wanted ever since she arrived in Vaas' camp, which was true, since she hadn't taken a bath for ages. Kidd had even commented that she had started smelling like the men, and she had to chase the older man around the camp to smack his arm.

Hoyt smiled, "There is a waterfall not far from here, and I have some fresh supplies for you in my truck. I'll have Vaas take you there right now."

Alex couldn't help but close her eyes and sigh in relief. She's finally going to be able to take a bath. FINALLY. "Yes, I'd like that very much, Mr. Volker."

"Hey, Ms. Alex!... Oh."

The three of them turned to one of the men, who came rushing towards them, his shirt splattered in blood, and panting. Even Kidd was intrigued at the man's appearance, and he walked over the four of them, standing behind Alex. At seeing Hoyt, the man stopped and looked timidly, before looking at Alex. "Ms. Alex… if you don't mind, can you help us?"

Alex turned at the two men. Vaas was looking in confusion at his man, while Hoyt looked… bored. She turned to the man… Antonio… who she learned was in charge of the pitbulls of the camp. "What's the matter, Antonio?"

"One of the men… Ricardo…" Antonio said, "He's got a really nasty fever, and he's seizing up." He pointed at his shirt, "He bit his tongue and started spitting at me, too."

She blinked, and looked at Vaas, whose eyes widened at the man's explanation. She nodded, "Alright, lead the way."

"I'll come with you." Vaas suddenly said, and Alex looked at him, "Ricardo's one of my best sharpshooters. I wanna find out what's wrong with him."

"But what about Hoyt?" She asked, but Kidd already put his hand around the man's shoulders.

"I'll escort the Kingslayer back to his truck, Alex." Kidd said, waving her off, "You go look over the man, we're going to catch up a bit."

Alex nodded, before turning to Antonio. "Okay, take me to him."


	26. Chapter 25: An Act Of Mercy

The man nodded as she and Vaas followed him into one of the tents, where the man lay in bed, shivering and delirious. Vaas stood by the door as he watched the man in confusion and Alex bent over him.

She laid a gentle hand on the man's forehead, "How long has this been going on?"

"A week and four days, Miss Alex." Antonio said, "He got bitten by one of my pits in the arm, the bastard was smacking the dog's face. I told him not to, but he kept on. It took us a while for the dog to let go of him."

Alex blinked, and she removed her hand from the man's forehead, "And the dog? Is it still alive?"

"Yes, ma'am. But he's been growling at everyone and drooling like hell." Antonio looked in alarm as Alex sat defeated by his friend's side, "Can… can you help him?"

Alex shook her head, "No… I'm afraid not." She stood up and looked back at Vaas and Antonio, "He's got rabies, I'm afraid. And it cannot be cured… not while in this stage. I'm sorry, Antonio."

The man blinked in shock, and Vaas' face hardened, "You'll have to kill the dog, Antonio." Alex continued and the man looked at her, "We cannot have it infect anyone else. Burn the dog's body, because if anything eats it, it'll contaminate it too."

Antonio nodded, "A…alright, miss. I'll go do it right now." Alex nodded as the man left the hut, and she turned to Vaas, "Vaas… I'm sorry."

"What do you want me to do, hermana?" Vaas said, his voice emotionless, but she could see that it was disturbing him.

She sighed, "You're going to have to put him out of his misery and burn his body. The virus… it's hurting him. And if he bites anyone else, they'll be infected, too."

"Like a zombie virus?"

"Yes… like a zombie virus." Alex said, surprised at Vaas for knowing about zombies, but she figured it came from his movie collection.

Vaas grew quiet, but he sighed and drew out his gun, standing beside Ricardo's prone form. Alex stood beside him, but she laid a hand on his arm, "Wait…"

The pirate looked up at her as she reached down and laid a hand on Ricardo's feverish head, "The Lord is my shepherd…" She started, looking down at Ricardo's face, "I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures: he leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul: he leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou prepare a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anoint my head with oil; my cup run over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever…. Amen."

Alex straightened and looked up at Vaas, nodding. He covered Ricardo's face with a pillow, and pulled the trigger, the pillow muffling the gun fire a little. Blood immediately pooled from under the bed as the sick man's body grew pale and cold. She took in a deep breath before turning to Vaas, who was looking at her strangely.

"What?" She asked as she turned to the pirate.

"You prayed for him, hermana." Vaas said, pointing down at Ricardo's corpse, "Why pray for him?"

She shrugged, "It's my act of mercy, I guess. I believe everyone has a soul, Vaas." She pointed down at Ricardo, "He may have killed many, and I may be the only one who has every prayed for him. But I believe everyone should have a chance of redemption to whatever God they believe in."

Vaas scoffed, "We killed far too much to be able to go to Paradiso, Alex."

"That is up to whatever gods you believe in to decide, not me." She said again, before putting a hand up and rubbing her brows. "I don't know. I guess it just doesn't feel right to me. It's complicated."

The pirate merely nodded, before looking down at her, "What about me, hermana? Will you pray for me if I ever become like… this? Near death or dead already?"

Alex remained silent, before striding in front of Vaas and looking at him straight in the eye. The pirate stared back at her, his bright green eyes clashing with her ocean blue ones, as if she was looking for something. She sighed before nodding, "Yes. I will pray for you when it comes to that, Vaas."

"I have no soul, Alex. I kill far too many people." Vaas growled at her.

"The fact that your eyes look sad right now because of Ricardo dying tells me otherwise, Vaas." Alex said, and the pirate blinked. She looked at him sadly, before taking his hand that held the gun, holstering his gun back to his hip, and turning away. The pirate looked down at the corpse of his man, thinking about what just happened. She was a little right… Ricardo was one of his sharpshooters, the best with a sniper rifle, and Vaas always took him when he needed someone to get the job done. It saddened him that such a man was gone, and he had wished the man could go to a better place.

It surprised him when Alex prayed. Other people always thought of them as a band of miscreants, drug addicts, and murderers. The fact that she believed that they still all possessed a soul, and that theirs was a soul worth a prayer, shook him to the core. She knew of the evils they had done and what they were capable of, but she was brave enough to believe that there was still something good in them.

Even though he knew deep inside of himself, that the good in him was gone.

"Goodbye, amigo." Vaas muttered finally, covering up his sharpshooter's corpse with a sheet, before heading out the tent.


	27. Chapter 26: Let The Black Wolf Out

"AAAAAAALLLLLEEEEEEEXXXX!"

Alex sighed as she stood up from her place in the ground, petting a pit bull beside her, watching Vaas' men burn the corpses of both Ricardo and the dog who bit him. She had taken a tour around the pit bull cages to look at the other dogs, which were fortunately not affected by the virus. The pitbull she was petting, who Antonio had named 'Beef', since it had a penchant for biting cows, even gave her a lick, after Antonio ordered the dog to calm down, since he had trained them all to attack on command.

"I'm right here, Vaas!" She shouted back as Vaas came out from another hut after talking to some of his men, "Jeeze, you'd think I'd be able to run away. Your men are surrounding the fucking place, you know."

"And they'd better. Because if you fucking disappear, hermana, I will fucking hunt you down myself and shoot you right in your pretty little head, no?" Vaas said pantomiming a gun to his temple. "Come on, we have a fucking job to do."

"What job?" Alex said as Vaas mentioned her to him, and she followed, with Beef following at her heels.

"Hoyt wants us to get the information about some of the fuckers' cards." He said, striding towards the cages, before looking down in surprise at the pitbull, "You got a fucking pet now, Alex?"

"His name is Beef." She said, scowling at Vaas, "And yes, I'm thinking about getting him as my pet. So that he can protect me from you or from your men."

At this, Vaas stopped, making her stop as well. Vaas stared at her, before laughing out loud, making her blink. He sank down to a knee and seized the pit bull's head, making her alarmed, thinking that he was going to hurt the dog. But she blinked again in surprise to see that Vaas was petting the dog on the head.

"There's a fucking killer!" Vaas said as he reached down and scratched at the dog's belly, causing it to roll over and loll out its tongue in pleasure, "Si… si… A fucking killer. One of my best dogs too, he can take down a guy in seconds, no? Yeah, yeah… you a good killer."

Beef let out a growl of delight as Vaas played with him a little, before standing up and looking triumphantly at her. She scowled, "Fuck. Talk about finding some decent help around here."

Vaas laughed out loud again as he whistled, causing the dog to bark and move away from them, heading back to Antonio. He grinned down at her as they started walking, "What you need to understand, hermana, is that people here fucking respect and fear me more than you."

She huffed out a breath, making him grin, before he bent down one of the cages. He kicked at it, before shouting, "HEY! AMIGO! WAKE UP!"

A man stirred from within the cage, and his eyes widened in fear when he saw Vaas, and he scooted at the far edge of his cage. But at the sight of Alex, the man looked confused. Vaas pulled something from his pocket, which turned out to be the man's wallet and a pad and pen. He gave the pad and pen to Alex before bending down over the man, "Good morning, motherfucker." He said, waving mockingly at the man, before looking down at his ID, "Clyde Summers, 54 years old… Bank Manager…. Ooohh, I like your profession, amigo."

Vaas grinned as he kneeled down near the cage, "So… hermano… here's the thing, we have a little problem here, no? You see, I only take people who I can ransom. But you, motherfucker, nobody can pay for you. So here's what we're going to do… you, moi, and…" He whistled as he pointed at Alex, "We gonna have a little bit of fun. You tell us your account number, no? If you don't…" He clicked his tongue again, "I fucking shoot you. You got it?"

The man looked up at Alex, shaking his head, "Don't please… please don't kill me, I beg you."

Alex blinked as she looked down at the man, feeling the dread creep up her body. She knew that if she helped him or displeased Vaas, it would mean the death of her. Her hesitation made Vaas stand up and look at her in anger, as if he had been expecting her to falter. She swallowed and looked up at Vaas, staring back at him, and she finally decided.

It's time to let go of her white wolf, and feed the black wolf in her.

She seized Vaas' gun, making the pirate jerk, but she aimed the gun at the man instead, and she scowled down at him.

"The codes, asshole." She whispered vehemently, and the man shrank in fear as the barrel pointed at him, "And don't think your puppy eyes would make me not shoot you, because I will. Now tell me the fucking codes."

Vaas blinked in shock, before grinning in pleasure, the skin around his eyes and mouth wrinkling in that adorable way she had noticed. The man started to mutter out the codes of his account as Vaas took the gun from her and pointed it at the man, as she took her pen and started writing it down.


	28. Chapter 27: Beauty and the Beast

"I'm tellin' you boys, she could sing."

Vaas perked up from his place behind his hut, sharpening his knife, when he heard Kidd talking. He stood up and walked over to the side of the hut, seeing Jose, Antonio, Carlos and Kidd, talking by some of the crates, with Carlos holding a guitar and strumming it idly. He had found the guitar among the luggage of one of the hostages, and he kept it, since he had known how to use it.

"Well, do you think we could ask for a performance?" Antonio asked Kidd, as he used his knife to cut a slice of mango and eating it, and Kidd chuckled.

"Why don't you ask her? She's right behind you." Kidd said, and Vaas looked up to see Alex walking towards his… or rather, _their_ hut, holding a pad of paper. At the sight of the four men sitting outside of their hut, she blinked, "What is this? From the looks on your faces, it looks like you're planning a mutiny."

Vaas bristled in anger, but the men laughed, "Nah, we aren't. I was just telling' these boys about how you know how to play the guitar, baby girl."

Alex blinked, and Carlos, Antonio and Jose smiled up at her. Her eyes widened, knowing what their looks are for, and she waved her hands. "Oh no… no! Oh jeeze, Kidd! No!"

"Aw, come on! Miss Alex!" Jose said, genuinely entertained at the idea, "Just one song, please!"

"Yeah, just one song, Miss Alex!" Antonio seconded, and he raised his fist, "JUST! ONE! SONG!"

The cry of JUST! ONE! SONG! echoed among the four men, each of them raising up their fist and chanting, while Carlos raised the guitar at her. She grinned shyly and chuckled, but when she looked around, she realized that the other men were looking at them, curious as to what they were doing. She waved her hands and shushed them, "Fine! Fine! Fine! Just shut the fuck up before my audience gets bigger!"

The four of them cheered, and Alex pouted mockingly before hitting each man on the arm, making them flinch and laugh. Vaas grinned to himself as he watched her teasing with his men, but he continued to watch her as she laid down the paper, before taking the guitar and looking at it.

"Oh, God… I haven't played one of these for ages." She said, running a hand through the strings.

"Just try, baby girl." Kidd said, grinning at her, before leaning back against the other crate to watch her.

She rolled her eyes and cradled the guitar to her chest, and she strummed and plucked the strings a little, before laughing, "Nobody make fun of my voice after this, you hear?!"

The men laughed, but soon silenced as she began strumming the guitar, its light sound filling their little circle, and Vaas listened as she played. He recognized the intro of her song as a Disney movie… Beauty and the Beast, as he remembered… and soon her voice drifted from the corner.

And he blinked… her voice sounded _amazing._ He looked up from the corner of the hut to look at her, singing with her eyes closed as she strummed the guitar lightly, her beautiful voice accompanying her instrument beautifully. Even the three men watched her with their mouth open in shock, while Kidd had his eyes closed with a smile on his face, listening to her voice in enjoyment. She had a high, lilting voice that was very pleasing to the ear. Even he himself found his eyes closing as he listened to her, her voice causing him to shiver a bit, the hair in his arms rising into goose bumps. He loved music like that… the kind of music that feels like it goes through your whole system and makes you shiver in delight at the beauty of it. He had always been a hard core rocker… listening to Guns and Roses, Metallica and other bands like that… but this… this was exquisite.

It was beautiful.

He smiled to himself as he continued to listen, her voice making him forget the time, but soon her song ended, her voice drifting to a silent pause… before his men started cheering on her. He grinned to himself as he stood and went around the hut behind the men, watching them as they applauded her, cheering on her. She smiled down at them, her cheeks blushing before her eyes lifted to him, and her smile faded, her cheeks turning into a deeper shade of pink in shyness. At her fading smile, the men turned around and found Vaas leaning against the hut with his arms crossed, and they stood up hastily.

"Uhh… hey there, Vaas…" Carlos said, getting the guitar from Alex, "We were just… uhm…"

But Vaas raised a hand and whistled, "Get the fuck back to work." He said simply, not shouting or angry, and the men looked at each other before scurrying off, leaving Alex and Kidd. Kidd grinned as he pulled himself up, patting Alex on the shoulder, before heading to the kitchen.

Alex watched as Vaas stared at her, a little surprised at the man's look. His face looked… serene… if she could describe it right. There was no trace of anger on his face, and he simply stared at her. She had to admit, without the anger on Vaas' face; he looked handsome, with his eyes glinting against the darkness of his skin. He continued to stare at her, making her swallow, before she blinked and stood up, getting the pad she put down.

"I… uh… gotta get to work." She muttered, but in her head, she berated herself. Her stomach was doing somersaults inside her and she felt like her heart was going to burst out of her chest. The sight of seeing Vaas in one of her more vulnerable moments… when she's singing made her a little afraid. But the look on his face… so serene and at peace without a hint of anger or rage, made her just want to run up to him and kiss him until she's dizzy. Being around the dangerously crazy pirate was having an effect on her…

And she was beginning to like it.

"Alexandria…" Vaas said, his Spanish inflection having an effect on her again when he said her real name, making her shiver again. "You didn't tell me you could sing."

She kept her back to him, afraid to let him see her blushing face, "You didn't ask, Vaas."

"Hmm… "The pirate nodded in assent, and she could hear him walking closer to her, "You were singing Beauty and the Beast, hmm? From Disney?"

"Yes." She swallowed, trying to force her heart to stop beating so loudly.

"I like that song, too, hermana." Vaas said, and she stiffened when she felt his body against her back, "But only if you sing it."

She huffed out a breath, "I need to get back to work, Vaas."

She was about to step away when Vaas seized her from the back, wrapping his arms around her tightly, and burying his face to her hair. Her hair smelled of dirt and her sweat, since she hadn't taken a bath lately, but the subtle hint of flowers were still there like the first time he smelled her.

"Alexandria…" He whispered, almost reverently against her ear, "Do you have any fucking idea… that the things you do, hermana… makes me want you even more?"

Alex remained silent and unmoving as Vaas groaned against her hair, his hands running up her neck and the other wrapping around her waist. She blinked when the hand on her neck tightened a little, but he wasn't intent on choking her, merely forcing her body closer to his. She felt the hard planes of his chest and abdominals on her back and the hardness of his cock against her butt. She looked around, hoping no one can see them. Fortunately, Vaas had pulled her on the dark side of their tent.

"Alexandria…" he crooned again, and it made her shiver again. He must have felt her shiver, because she felt him smile against her neck, "Stop resisting me…"

But Vaas' arms loosened and Alex used the opportunity to push away from him, almost staggering back, before looking accusingly at him. He felt a pang of anger run through his veins, and it showed again on his face, but at Alex's blushing face and angry but confused look, his anger waned, and he grinned at her as he lowered his arms.

"Resistance is futile, hermana." Vaas said again, and her eyes widened. "Maybe just a few more days, no? And then I show you how much of a fucking beast I can be."

Alex's face filled with anger, before she stomped back to her tent, forgetting whatever she had meant to get from their hut. Vaas chuckled as he watched her, before silencing and watching her walk away.

By the gods, he wanted her. And he was beginning to think that she wanted him, too.


	29. Chapter 28: RAID!

Alex stretched in front of her computer, leaning back her chair as she reached up, the muscles in her back stiff and aching. She'd been sitting for hours in front of the computer, with Jose bringing her food, water and coffee. With the help of Vaas, she was able to get all of the hostages account numbers, amounting to several millions, and she was transferring it to one of Hoyt's numerous accounts. Although she hated the fact that she was stealing, she knew that she was doing it to stay alive. If Hoyt or Vaas finds out that she would be useless, they'd be sure to kill her.

Not to mention she was enjoying teaching the men in reading. Some of them are beginning to respect her now, calling her 'Miss Alex' or 'Miss Steele' and coming up to her with small gifts that they scoured around the forest. Once Jose brought her some flowers he had picked from the forest, causing the man to blush a little, but she accepted it gracefully. The way the men gave her gifts of appreciation made her think of children that gave apples or fruits to their teacher, and she had to admit, she liked it.

Although, the shower of the men's affection for her seemed to irritate Vaas. When the pirate lord noticed that flowers or fruit had started piling up in her table near the computer, he scowled asked where the fuck it all came from. She told him about how the men gave her gifts in return for teaching them, and he scowled darker before leaving her hut and ignoring her for several days, which suited her just fine, since she focused more in getting the money from the hostages' accounts and teaching the men.

Her reverie was cut short when a blaring alarm rang throughout the camp, surprising her and making her fall of her chair. She rolled sideward as she groaned after her lower back hurt, just as Vaas entered the room. He looked down at her, seeing that she had fallen off her chair, and he laughed out loud, "What the fuck happened to you, hermana?!"

"Your fucking alarm surprised me, that's what happened!" She shouted back, because the alarm was really loud, "What's going on, Vaas?"

"Fucking Rakyats! They're attacking the camp!" Vaas said as Alex stood up. She blinked in surprise as Vaas pulled her out into the clearing.

"Do they attack you often?!" She said as Vaas dragged her to the edge of the camp, where a tower was erected.

"Yeah, they do. But they're too fucking chicken so it doesn't last too long." Vaas said, and she noticed he was grinning, loving the fact that he was about to kill some of his former tribesmen. He looked down at her as he handed her a sniper rifle, "You said you can shoot a rifle, no? Then make yourself useful and kill these fuckers!"

Alex took the gun, weighting it, but she swallowed at the thought of killing the Rakyats. She looked around to see Kidd, holding his rifle and a pistol in his hip, and Jose, who had just sheathed a machete to his side. She looked up to Vaas, "Okay. I'll do it."

At this, the pirate grinned, "That's a good princesa." Suddenly, he grasped her at the back of the neck and pulled her close, kissing her roughly and catching her gasp of surprise. She felt his tongue reach inside her mouth, and she was faintly surprised to find out that despite what the pirate looked like, he was actually a very good kisser… and that he tasted like cigarettes and wine. Unconsciously, she felt herself move, her tongue reaching out and tasting him in return, clutching at his shirt, and he groaned out as he wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed her deeper, their hips almost grinding each other. She felt his hardness press against her, the thought of battle turning him on, and she felt herself go hot. He ground his hips against her one last time, biting her lips lightly, before pushing her backward.

"We'll continue this later, no?" Vaas said, grinning at her shocked expression, and she felt her face turn red. "Fuck, you make me so fucking horny." But he smacked her butt, before running off to the center of the camp backwards as he grinned at her, "Make me proud eh, hermana?!"

She blinked at the sudden departure of the pirate, still dizzy from his assault to her senses, but she swallowed and looked around. The Rakyat haven't infiltrated the camp yet, so she ran over to her tent again and grabbed her iPod, before heading back out.


	30. Chapter 29: Killing in the Name Of Vaas

A battle cry came from behind her and she reacted, bending down just as a machete swung past her head. On instinct, she reached down into her boot and pulled at her combat knife, before she swung backwards, the knife slitting the man's throat, spraying her with blood. She blinked in surprise as the man fell down dead beside her. She looked down at her hands, now tinged red with blood… and she felt herself weaken a little. She had just killed someone, a Rakyat…. A human. She felt the tears sting the back of her eyes, but she swallowed heavily and headed back to the tower, climbing it with the rifle at her back.

She breathed in deep as she made the top and grasp the rifle, before putting her eye in the scope and putting the iPod's earphones to her ears, and she pressed the button randomly, hearing the intro of Rage Against the Machine's 'Killing in the Name of'. _Well, this is ironic, _she thought, _Killing in the name of Vaas_.

Looking down through the scope, she could see some of the men fighting, including Jose, Kidd, Antonio, Carlos and Vaas. She could see Vaas enjoying the battle, his face and body splattered in blood, as he used his pistol and a knife to fight the Rakyat. "Whoo!" She heard him yell, delighting at the adrenaline rush, "I love the smell of Rakyat blood in the mornin'! Hahahaha!"

Vaas was too preoccupied fighting the people in front of him that he didn't notice that some Rakyats were coming up behind him. Alex set the Rakyat's head on her scope and pulled the trigger, her finger moving in instinct at the song's beat. The pirate lord looked up just as the Rakyat she shot fell, and she saw him grin widely through her scope.

She saw more Rakyats coming in, and she started shooting, using the beats from her music to time her breathing, her shots and her reloads. She lost track of Kidd and Jose, killing Rakyats that attacked the other men instead, or those coming too near the hostages' cages.

A few minutes later, everything went quiet.

She looked down with her scope, and she saw several of the Rakyat fleeing the camp, some carrying their injured. She could hear Vaas and his troupes shouting in victory, as she lowered the gun from her shoulder and breathing a sigh of relief.

But soon it came. She killed so many Rakyats… more than ten to her, it seemed, and she felt the revulsion for actions come up her stomach, and she moved over to the side of the tower, hurling out her dinner and whatever contents of her stomach. She wiped her mouth when she was done, before collapsing down at the floor of the tower. She could hear somebody coming up the ladder, but she didn't care who it was, she felt weak from vomiting.

"Alex?" Kidd's gruff but gentle voice sounded from the ladder, and he pulled himself up, finding her on the floor. The man's face widened as Alex's face crumpled and tears started falling from her eyes, and he scooted beside her as the girl clutched at his chest.

"Aww… baby girl. Hush now." Kidd crooned as he comforted her.

"I… killed so many, Kidd!" She couldn't help but mutter against his chest, "I've… killed… so many."

"Baby girl, you had to." Kidd said, running a hand through her hair, "If you chickened out and these men knew about it, they would kill you, you know that right? Vaas… he saw you shooting. I think he liked that. He's bound to keep you alive now." He smiled gently at her as he raised her face and wiped her tears with his sleeve, "You got really clean shots, you know. All head shots. I know this is the wrong place to say it, but I was damned proud of you."

Alex sniffed as she sat still while Kidd cleaned up her face, "But… I killed people…"

"To survive, baby girl. You killed to survive." Kidd said, putting both of his hands on her face to bring her gaze to him, "This isn't London or Los Angeles or any civilized area, peaches. Out here, you kill to survive… even if it meant shooting another human. If you value your life, girl, then you have to put it above all else, including me. You hear?"

She nodded, and took a deep breath; just a Kidd smiled at her. "Come on, dry your tears. If Vaas finds out you've been crying, he's going to kill you."

She nodded again, before heading towards the ladder, with Kidd behind her. As she headed down, she could hear some of the men below, cheering. As soon as she put both feet on the ground, Antonio came up and pat her back, with the rest of the men coming up and patting her too. Kidd grinned and put an arm around her as she looked up at him, confused. "What's going on?"

"These men, baby girl… they saw you shooting and saving them from your perch up there." He said, grinned at her, "You were a damn fine shot, you know. Straight to their damn skulls. These men appreciate that."

The men cheered again as she smiled uncertainly, pulling on the strap of her rifle. She grinned as the men started chanting 'A-lex! A-lex!' with Kidd taking up the cry. But pretty soon the crowd parted and Vaas came up, putting an arm around her shoulder.

"Alright! Alright! Shut the fuck up, hermanos!" Vaas cried out, quieting the men before grinning down at her, "So, Alex here… she just proven herself worthy no?!"

The men shouted their assent, and Vaas waved them down again, "This woman, no? She didn't just give us a pay raise, but she killed the fucking Rakyat, too! Isn't that fucking awesome!?"

The men shouted again, and Vaas continued, "So what do you say, amigos?! What about we have a party tomorrow for her, no? And give her a fucking reward, too!"

"YEAAAAHHH!" The men shouted again as Alex grinned uncertainly at them and Vaas cleared them off by saying, "Now somebody clean this shit up, no? We can't have a fucking party when the camp is a fucking mess!"

Kidd grinned down at her before winking, making his way back to the men to clean the camp up just as Vaas started pulling on her hand. The pirate lord was dragging her towards one of trucks, "Where are you taking me, Vaas?"

"Giving you a reward, hermana." Vaas said as he looked back and grinned at her, "You wanted a bath, no? So, as a reward, I'll take you to the waterfalls to clean up." He pointed down at her bloodied face, hair and shirt, "You've got fucking blood all over you."

She looked down at herself in revulsion, seeing the blood of the Rakyat she had killed and she swallowed again, "Yeah. I guess I could use a little cleaning up."

"And besides…" Vaas continued, before pushing her roughly towards the truck, and she collided against it with her back, making her gasp in pain. He pressed her against the metal with his body, and Alex felt his warmth again, over-whelming her senses and making her short of breath. "As much as blood turns me on, hermana… I want to see every fucking inch of your skin clean."

"And why is that, Vaas?" She whispered out, making the pirate smirk seductively her before planting a kiss on her neck under her ear, making her shiver.

"Because after tonight, hermana… I can't take it anymore, no?" Vaas whispered back, his breath hot against her neck, "You get your reward, and I get mine, too… I will fuck you, hermana, and I know you will like it."


	31. Chapter 30: The Waterfall

The waterfall Vaas brought her to was beautiful, even in the dark with the rising sun lighting up the sky. It was very high, its water billowing down into a massive pool below, drenching all the greenery around it… including her.

Vaas drove her to the waterfall, grinning like an idiot all the way, while she sat silent beside him, hugging her knees. He made it very clear that he was intent in taking her, and although she was a little bit frightened, she didn't want to flee and run away. Vaas was too unpredictable, and too crazy, that she was sure that if she tried to run, he would shoot her in the head. She wanted to run… she knew she _had_ to run… but she couldn't.

Something inside her was tugging at her, wanting her to stay… wanting to know what it felt like to be with Vaas. She felt ashamed of herself when she reacted at feeling Vaas around her, and although she knew that what she was about to do wasn't wrong, since she wasn't in a relationship at all, her morals are telling her that sleeping with a crazy drug addict, human trafficker and killer was wrong. But her instinct in keeping herself alive was kicking in. She sighed, and decided that whatever Vaas was going to do, she might as well accept it.

Although, she couldn't help but be curious if she really was going to like it.

She stood by the edge of the pool, the bag of toiletries and clothes that Vaas gave her by her feet. She looked up at the pirate lord as he stood by his truck, smoking a cigar, watching her with intent eyes. She suddenly felt shy, but she felt icky and dirty. She sighed as she muttered out, "Fuck it." And proceeded to remove her clothes, her back turned against the pirate lord.

She removed her boots, Kidd's cargo pants, her shirt and her cardigan, dismayed as how it all looked now, considering she hadn't bathed in weeks. Her shirt was in the worst state of all. It was stinky and dirty, full of blood, sweat and dirt. In the end she tore it up, determined to use it as a scrub. Fortunately, her black bra and boy-cut undies were still pretty much intact, although they also needed a bit of washing, and she definitely didn't want to take it off in front of Vaas. She set her clothes and the stuff in her pockets aside, brought out the shampoo and soap from the bag, padded towards the pool, walking forward to keep the pirate lord from seeing her front, until she was submerged in the water, still wearing her underwear. She turned around to see Vaas still staring at her intently.

She kept her eyes on him as she scrubbed furiously, determined to get each and every inch of her skin clean, even if it meant she had to scrub her body underwater. She removed her underwear under water, washing them thoroughly before putting them on again. Vaas never removed his eyes on her, staring at her as she bathed, although the only movement he made was to take a puff of his cigar every now and then.

She shampooed her hair, and she couldn't help but sigh in relief as all the dirt got washed away from her scalp, rubbing the shampoo furiously to the ends of the strands. She dunked underwater to wash the rest of the shampoo away, making sure that there wasn't any residue left, before emerging. She wiped the water from her eyes and looked up, and she blinked when she realized that Vaas was gone.

Alex looked down by the rocks near the pool, seeing Vaas' shirt, pants, boots and leather holster on the ground. She looked around trying to find the pirate lord, when she suddenly got pulled underwater.

Something was holding her underwater, and she opened her eyes, the water stinging at them a little. Vaas was grinning at her from under, his hand clasped around her ankle, pulling her down. She struggled against his grasp, her lungs screaming for air, but the pirate lord continued to grin and hung on to her. Finally, she kicked, getting him good on the shoulder, and she heard him grunt a little in pain as he let her go, and she padded upwards to the surface.

She sputtered as she finally broke through the surface, and she quickly swam for the rocky shore, but Vaas was on her again, grabbing her ankle first and then her waist, pulling her back into the water. She collided with Vaas' chest as he wrapped his arms around her. He tightened his hold on her, bringing her body close to his, and she stopped struggling, clutching at his chest.

"Woooow, amiga… so you into rough shit to, eh?" Vaas crooned as he brought his face to her ear. "That's good, because I like rough shit too."


	32. Chapter 31: Breaking Point

Alex's eyes widened and she yelled out in pain as Vaas painfully bit into her shoulder, his teeth ripping her skin a little, his arms still tight against her. At her yell, he stopped biting, and she couldn't help but gasp as he licked the spot where he bit her, licking her blood and moaning. Her breath got caught in her throat as the pirate began kissing her behind her ear, licking her, sucking her skin, and she felt her face grow warm. Her fingers clawed against his warm chest, making him growl a little bit as he continued to kiss her.

But when Vaas' hands moved underwater, his fingers pushing her underwear down, she stiffened and pushed a little against him, "Shh… shh… Alexandria…" Vaas crooned again, his rough, Spanish inflection making her full name sound exotic to her ears, making her shiver, "Don't move… you'll enjoy this, I promise."

She was about to retort out to Vaas, but she suddenly whimpered, as Vaas' fingers delved between her legs, rubbing the nub that ached. She couldn't help but moan out in pleasure as he touched her, his breathing hot against her neck, as his mouth travelled down her cleavage, licking the tops of her breast. She could feel herself getting hot and wet against his hand despite the cold water. His teeth bit down at her bra, pulling the fabric down and revealing a nipple, and he licked it, making her shiver and whimper again.

"You like that, don't you, Alexandria?" Vaas whispered against her breast, "You like that, don't you? You love my fucking tongue on you. I could feel you… oh fuck… you're so warm, bella…"

Alex clutched at his shoulder as he continued his ministrations, and he rubbed his crotch against her leg, and she felt the bulge in his shorts. She gasped at the sensation as Vaas pulled her underwear down and grabbed her legs, spreading her under the water, and his cock rubbed against her.

"Tell me." Vaas seethed at her as he pulled at her hair, "Tell me you want me, Alexandria."

Alex grit her teeth against the sensation, but Vaas rubbed against her roughly, and she gasped out, "I want you, Vaas…"

Vaas groaned, "That's it… tell me to fuck you, Alexandria."

"F… fuck me, Vaas…" She couldn't help but obey. The feeling of Vaas' hardness against her was driving her insane, and she had lost all sense of thought that she only wanted him inside her.

Vaas growled out loudly, his hand moving under the water to push his shorts down, before roughly entering her, making her cry out. Both of his arms wrapped around her, trapping her arms on his chest, as he pushed and pulled out of her, grunting in effort, making her moan. He was rough, but by the gods she loved it, his arms almost crushing her lungs as his hand reached back and pulled painfully at her hair. His thrusts were deep and sudden, pulling out of her until his shaft was only a few centimeters inside, before shoving up her again to the hilt. It drove her mad, and she couldn't stop the moans and whimpers that escaped her.

Vaas made her ride him hard, her moans mixing with his grunts of effort and his dirty Spanish language, but it excited her just the same. The force of his thrusts made her bounce on top of him, and he bit hard into her shoulder again, the pain of his bite and the pleasure of his hips making her mewl at the sensation. She could feel herself reaching her peak, her moans getting louder, and she dug her nails deeply into Vaas' chest, scratching the skin raw. Vaas quickened his movements, taking her hips in his hands and forcefully thrusting in and out of her.

"You gonna cum, Alexandria?" Vaas taunted her, staring at her face intently as he bit his lip, before licking the shell of her ear, his breath hot against her, "You gonna cum on my fucking cock, huh? Come on then… make your fucking tight pussy cum on my cock… come on my little bella… cum on me… like I'm going to cum into you… cum for me… come on…"

Vaas' dirty language and rough thrusting made her see stars, and her body seized up as she orgasmed, her pussy tightening around Vaas' shaft. At the feel of her muscles clenching, Vaas' groaned out and winced, delving into her deeply as he came, and she felt his hot essence burst from inside her, making her orgasm again. He thrust roughly a few more time, groaning out loudly, and Alex felt limp in his arms. White spots seemed to appear in her vision as the convulsions in her body finally slowed, and she panted.

The pirate king pulled her towards the shore, where he laid her down on the bank, and she flopped limp against the ground, staring off into nothingness. Vaas breathed heavily as he lay back, looking up at the stars, exhausted.

"Motherfucker…" Vaas finally groaned out loud, "I've never… had it… that good… before…"

Alex remained silent, panting like Vaas, and she swallowed. She had to admit, she never had it like that before, too. It was… amazing for her, the kind of sex she had always wanted but never really knew, and although it ashamed her that she had to do it with a murderer and a pirate, she realized that if that ever happened again… she would probably say yes… over and over and over again.


	33. Chapter 32: One of Us

"Come on, bella. Time to go."

Alex groaned out loudly from her position on the ground, still exhausted from her session with Vaas. The pirate lord has obvious gathered her strength again, but she was still tired, her legs aching like mad, but the tingles of pleasure were still there. She could hear him putting on his pants and his shirt, hearing the buckles of his belt as he put everything on again, before she heard him chuckle and walk towards where she lay.

"Come on… up and at 'em. Alex." Vaas said, and he pulled at her upper arm, making her sit up and look at him. He grinned down at her as she groaned and stood up, her legs still wobbly. He bent down and took something from the bag, "Here, these might fit you, I think."

Alex nodded numbly and started putting her underwear back into order, before opening the package that Vaas gave her. She blinked when she saw what was in it, before looking up at the pirate king with a scowl, "Are you fucking kidding me?"

The pirate looked up at her and scowled, "No. I am not fucking kidding you. Put it on, hermana." He reached down at his belt again and unholstered his pistol, "Don't forget that I still have a fucking gun."

Alex seethed, but she removed what was in the bag, which turned out to be camouflage pants, a red shirt, combat boots and red underwear. She growled when she saw it, but when Vaas aimed the gun at his head and made the clicking sound with his tongue again, she sighed and resolved her fate. She didn't bother turning around to hide her body from Vaas as she put on the underwear before slipping the pants on. It fit her body rather well, the pants were loose enough to allow her movement, and the shirt fit her torso well. She huffed annoyed, before looking up the pirate again, whose hungry eyes roved down her body again.

"I swear, if I wasn't so drained, I would fuck you right now." Vaas said candidly, and she felt the heat on her cheeks again, but she just rolled her eyes and stuffed her old clothes back in the bag.

"Oh, just shut up, Vaas." She said scathingly as she walked up the path again and to his truck, carrying the bag and the boots, making the pirate laugh out loud. She entered the passenger side and slammed the door, waiting for the pirate as he got in and turned the ignition.

"So what's this party for?" Alex said as he drove, "You kill plenty of Rakyats and hostages every week, so why give a victory party?"

"This isn't just a fucking victory party, hermana." Vaas said as he stuffed a cigar in his mouth again as he drove. Alex got the lighter from the dashboard and lit it up, reaching it over to Vaas. The pirate blinked at her, before lighting the cigar as he was preoccupied with driving. He took in a deep inhale of the smoke as Alex bent her leg to put on the boots, "The men, no? They come up to me. They say, 'Miss Alex saved us, Vaas. She killed lots of fucking Rakyats. She's one of us now.' And Hoyt, eh? Hoyt increased our pay, too. The men were happy about that. So, since you don't have any family, the men wanted you to be part of our little group of pirates."

Alex stopped from tying her boots, blinking up in surprise, before turning to look at Vaas, "Wait… what? You want me… to become a pirate like you?"

At this, Vaas scoffed, "Not like me, hermana. You can never be like me." He laughed at his little private joke, but he continued. "Kidd accepted, you know. He said, 'there's nothing for me back out there. I think I belong here now.' He said to ask you, too. So I did." He waved a hand, "And as a bonus for joining our… little club, you going to get a surprise. A special offer for accepting a one-time deal."

She stared out of the window, watching the greenery pass by them, as she thought about her answer. Kidd was right, there was nothing for her back to her old life. She had no job anymore since Nigel is being held hostage by Vaas, and Kidd was with her here on the island. She had very few friends back in London, that they probably would not miss her. She found her purpose here… teaching the men, and getting money from the rich using her knowledge. Although, the constant fear of being around a dangerous man like Vaas would nag at her, the thought of living her old, ordinary… boring life day after day after day back in London caused her to tremble.

"Yes. I accept."

Vaas grinned before he took another drag of his cigar and exhaling smoke, "Oh, by the way… I told you so."

She blinked and looked at the pirate, "What?"

The truck stopped suddenly as Vaas stepped on the brake abruptly, making her fling an arm out and catch herself before her head hit the windshield. As she got flung backward back to her seat, Vaas suddenly seized her, grabbing her at the back of the head with his other hand around her throat, and kissed her roughly, his tongue slipping in her mouth. She gasped at the sudden intrusion, but before she could push him off, Vaas let her go, and went back to driving, grinning beside her.

"I told you I was going to make you want me."


	34. Chapter 33: The Two Wolves

After the Rakyat attack, the men started clearing up the camp again, burning the bodies of the dead Rakyat warriors. Alex was too busy tending to the wounded, stitching up the wounds they got during the battle, which included Antonio's arm wound and Carlos' lip, since he had used his head to bash a Rakyat's head in.

When she was done, she headed over to where the men were burning the bodies, and she covered her nose at the scent of death, blood and burning flesh. She watched as two men hoisted a dead Rakyat, and pitching it towards a giant pyre full of wooden logs and other burning bodies. It sickened her, but she knew it was the proper way to dispose of them. She had given warnings to Antonio and Carlos about the flies and mosquitoes in the area, and they knew that she was telling them this because she was worried about them, so they obeyed her.

She walked closer to the pile of bodies, and she blinked in surprise when she saw a boy, not even fifteen years old, as one of the dead Rakyats. He was strikingly handsome youth, with dark skin and a lithe body, his arm covered in unfinished tattoos. His brown eyes were open in death, and blood had coagulated from his neck wound.

"How can he… but he's just a child…" She couldn't help but mutter out loud as she bent over the dead Rakyat boy.

"My fucking sister sent him."

Alex looked up to see Vaas, smoking and looking down at her. From the almost flowery scent that came out of his smoke, she knew that it wasn't tobacco he was smoking. "Citra lets boys go to battle?"

Vaas scoffed, and crossed his arms as he threw the butt of his joint to the piles of bodies, "That's my sister's way of telling the Rakyat to man-the-fuck-up." He said, glaring down in anger at the bodies, "When we were younger, hermana, our parents trained us to be warriors by sending us into the forest and killing animals. But no, no, no, no, please… Citra changed that. She told her fucking warriors that the only time they can prove to be Rakyat warriors is if they kill one of my men… or me." He chuckled, "What she doesn't realize is… the fucking Rakyats are screwed if they keep it up."

She blinked and looked down sadly at the Rakyat boy, feeling pity for the youth and anger towards Citra. She bent closer to the body and used her fingers to close the boy's eyes, before leaning back and putting her hands together in prayer. She heard Vaas huff out a breath of annoyance at her actions, but she didn't pay him any attention as she prayed. Finally, she sighed and stood up, just as the men burning the bodies picked up the boy's carcass and threw it in the fire.

She turned to Vaas, who was scowling at her, waving out a hand. "Why do you keep fucking do that, hermana?" He said, his face looking angry, "You heal the sick. You pray for the dead. What the fuck are you, a fucking saint?"

She scowled at him, "Vaas, did I ever tell you about the story of the two wolves?"

Vaas scoffed again, "I don't have time for your fucking stories, perra."

She shrugged, "Well, you're here. So I might as well fucking tell you. The story goes that there are two wolves inside every person. One wolf was black as night, and represented all the evils of man… anger, envy, sorrow, regret, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, lies… and ego. The other wolf was white as snow, and he represents the good in us… he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith. The two wolves fight each other every day inside every one… inside you, and inside me… inside all of your men. And the wolf you feed is the one who wins…"

The pirate grinned evilly at her, before bending over to her and whispering, "I've been feeding my black wolf then, hermana. And my white wolf? He's dead."

"I don't believe that." Alex said, looking straight at him without fear, and it irked him. "I believe he's somewhere in there, weak… but he's there."

Her bravery annoyed him, and he reached out and grasped her neck, tightening it. She didn't flinch… she didn't even show that she was in pain, and she continued to stare at him bravely, her ocean blue eyes clashing with his light green ones. He tightened his hand more, hoping she would show some sign that she was in pain, but she merely blinked and continued to stare at him. Finally, he let her go, and she stood her ground. He chuckled, "Good luck finding my fucking white wolf, hermana. Because I believe I chased him away."

Alex merely scowled at him, before turning her back, looking back at pyre. Vaas chuckled again, "So the fucking things you do, perra? You trying to feed your white wolf?"

"I've been feeding my white wolf all my life, Vaas." Alex said, still looking at the burning pyre.

"And your black wolf? It's not there?"

She sighed, before looking back at Vaas, looking a little angry… not at him, but at herself. "Oh, he's there..." She sighed as she started walking back to her hut, but she couldn't help but mutter.

"And ever since I came into this island, I feel like he's getting stronger."


	35. Chapter 34: A Talk Between Friends

The next day, Alex was working in getting more money for Hoyt when the flap of her tent opened, and Kidd came in, bearing a tray of food for her. Her brows furrowed, "Hey Kidd. Why are you the one bringing my food? Isn't Jose around?"

The bigger man shrugged and laid out the food on her table beside her computer, "I dunno. I haven't seen the kid since after the Rakyat attack." He waved a hand, "Nah, he's probably just around here. Vaas orders his men outside the camp as scouts whenever there's an attack."

She nodded, "Okay." She took her food as Kidd looked at her, his eyes looking at her face. She looked up at him, "What? You look like you spotted a booger at my nose."

Kidd laughed, "Nah, it isn't like that, girl." His face got serious, "The word around the camp is you've accepted becoming a member of Vaas' troops."

She shrugged, "Well, from what I heard, you accepted first and that you told Vaas to ask me." Kidd blinked, before looking at her guiltily, "Mind telling me about that, Kidd?"

"Sorry about that, kiddo." Kidd said, "But you know me. I like grand adventures. And I have to say this one is the best. I don't mind doing this, you know… Vaas pays me well enough, much more than the others who hired me, in fact. There's beer and critters to shoot…"

"Which includes humans, Kidd." Alex told him, "Are you really enjoying this? Killing humans?"

Kidd sighed, before looking sadly at Alex, "No, I don't, Alex. And you know that. But you have to understand… these men, baby girl, these men fight to the teeth against the Rakyat. If we had gone with the Rakyat instead of these men, maybe we would've fought with them too. But it isn't like that. Vaas found us, and he was the one who found a way to keep us alive. We owe him that much." Kid shifted in his seat, "And some of these men, girl, they aren't like Vaas. They have wives, families… they're Rakyat, sure, but the money they earn from Vaas provides for them well. Not all of them are bad."

Alex sighed, rubbing her forehead with her fingers, "All right. I get your point. But still, Vaas and Hoyt could kill us any second, you know. If they think we're useless-"

"I doubt that, girl." Kidd said, smirking at her, "I actually have a bit of news for you. Do you remember that time when you went off to see that sick guy with Vaas?" She nodded, "Well, I told you I'd catch up with Hoyt, remember? I talked to him about our situation, you know. And he was happy with our results being here. Vaas' men got smarter… battle wise and intellectually. And get this… the raid last night? No casualties. Even Vaas was surprised. He said there would be at least three or four people dead during the Rakyat raids."

She blinked, "Really?"

He grinned, "Yeah, really. Hoyt called this morning to ask about the raid, and he was happy that we're all alive because of our teachings and because of you." He thumped his chest, "Hoyt 'purchased' me, so to speak… to stay here and keep teaching his men, and next month I'll be heading over to Hoyt's island down south to teach his men, too. And Vaas-" He blinked suddenly and covered his mouth.

Alex's eyebrow raised, "What about Vaas?"

Kidd grits his teeth, looking guilty, before sighing and looking apologetic at her, "Vaas paid for you, girl. He bought you from Hoyt… he paid with his own money this morning."

She blinked, before scowling, "I am NOT a thing to be bought, Kidd."

"You tell him that, Alex. But to be honest, I was happy he did. Hoyt was actually thinking of selling you… even though I told him not to." He shrugged again, "You owe him more than you think, baby girl."

She blinked and sighed again, this time burying her head in her palms. Vaas bought her. With his own money. She could already imagine how smug he would look when she'd next see him. He fucked around with her. And now he bought her. Even though she could tell herself over and over again that she was not some sort of thing to be bought, the pirate isn't going to look at it that way. After all, he already sells humans along with Hoyt, what would make her any different?

"Okay, okay… I'll fucking thank him when I see him. Damn it." Alex finally said, looking up at Kidd as the older man grinned.

"Hey, it isn't that bad. At least you won't have to deal with that prick Nigel and his pathetic attempts to get up your skirt." Kidd said, chuckling.

"Yeah, right. But at least I could stop Nigel from fucking around with me." She said unconsciously, before she realized what she had said. Kidd's eyes rounded and he looked at her.

"What in… Vaas touched you?!"

She sighed, "Probably more, Kidd."

"He fucked you?!"

"Yeah."

"Did you enjoy it?"

"KIDD!" Alex shrieked, scandalized that the man would even ask such a thing. He grinned at her, before laughing out loud and slapping his thigh in mirth, "God damn…" Kidd said as he laughed, "Somebody finally got into your panties. Maybe that's the reason why you weren't as uptight as you were before, Alex."

"Oh shut the fuck up." Alex growled out, making the older man laugh harder.

"You see that?! You're even talking like him now!" Kidd said, making Alex blush and smacking his arm. He flinched a little, but he continued laughing, and soon Alex found herself grinning a little. Kidd's laugh was actually a little infectious. It took for a while for Kidd to stop laughing, before he finally said, "I guess that's the reason why he wanted to talk to you."

"He wanted to talk to me?" She asked and Kidd nodded.

"Yeah. He's near the cages; he said he's got something for you." Kidd said, standing up from his seat. "He said you should come by when you're not too busy."

She looked down at her food, "Okay, I'll come over when I'm done eating."

Kidd grinned again as he headed out the door, "God damn… Vaas fucked you. I won't to be able to get that out of my head now."

The older man continued to laugh as he stepped out the clearing, just as a banana flew out from inside and hit his head.


	36. Chapter 35: We're All Mad Here

"ALEX STEELE! COME ON DOWN!"

Alex rolled her eyes as she walked towards Vaas, avoiding the protruding dead heads on the ground as she walked. Aside from spearing heads into poles, Vaas and his men found amusement in burying people up to their necks into the ground, before torturing them. At first, it appalled her, but then, she learned very slowly to tolerate it… after all; it was what Vaas wanted to do.

The said pirate now grinned at her, standing at one of the roads that lead into the camps… the Head Field, as some of men called it. He had one foot over what looked like an upside down bucket, and he was grinning at her.

"Glad you took the time to visit me, hermana!" Vaas said, grinning at her.

She rolled her eyes again as she stopped in front of the pirate and crossed her arms, leaning her weight on one leg, "Yeah, sure. I missed your sunny disposition, Vaas… that's why I visited." She said sarcastically.

Vaas straightened and grinned at her, before slowly coming forward, and grasping her waist with both hands, "And here I thought you just missed my cock, bella."

She scoffed, but she didn't push Vaas' hands away, "No. I don't miss it. At all."

Instead of being insulted, the pirate laughed before winking at her, "You will… in time."

She sighed heavily, growing annoyed with the pirate, "What do you want, Vaas?"

The pirate grinned again, before lunging forward and kissing her on the nose, making her cringe a little as he let go of her and stood by the bucket again, "Do you remember what I said, hermana? About that surprise for the one-time deal?"

Her eyebrow rose, "Uh… yeah."

Vaas grinned at her before kicking the bucket by his feet, and it made a clanging noise. She looked down and felt a small shiver of fear run through her, making her stand straight.

Gunther's head was popping out of the ground, his face bruised and dirty, but his eyes were still open, grimacing at the bright light that shone to him now that the bucket was gone. He looked up, seeing the grinning face of Vaas, before seeing her shocked face.

"What the fuck?!" Gunther shouted as he saw her, "You stupid, fucking, BITCH! You were with them, aren't you? You fucking tricked us into coming to this island! You bitch! Fuck you! You fucking twat!"

Vaas growled as he kicked Gunther's head, making her flinch as she heard the man's nose crunch from the impact, "Do you WANT me to slice you open like I did your fucking friend?! Shut the fuck up, okay?! I'm the one with the fucking dick. Look at me. Look me in the fucking eye…"

But Gunther remained moaning about his nose, and it infuriated Vaas. He seized Gunther by the hair and forced his face to his, "EY! YOU FUCK! LOOK ME IN THE EYE! You're my bitch. I rule this fucking kingdom. Shut the fuck up or you die."

Alex covered her mouth as Gunther's face crumpled, and tears started coming out of his eyes as he whimpered from Vaas' abuse, "Please no… please don't kill me… please…"

"Vaas…" She said, turning away from them, "Cover him up with the bucket again… please."

The pirate lord looked up at Alex, who seemed to be hunched over, covering her mouth and shaking. He looked down at Gunther's head, "Stay here for a minute, amigo." He said, as he grabbed the bucket and covered up Gunther's head again, muffling the man's cries. He rushed towards Alex, making her turn around to face him, as her head remained bowed and her hair covered her face.

"Alex? Hermana? What's the matter?" Vaas said, trying to make her look at him, as her shoulder remained shaking. He peered down at her face, trying to see if she was crying, when a small huff escapes from her, followed by another, and another.

He blinked when he realized… that she was laughing.

Alex's chest heaved with laughter, one arm holding her stomach, the other trying to cover up her mouth. Vaas blinked as he watched her laugh, tears falling down a bit on her face as she did so. Finally, she blinked and stopped laughing, looking a little shocked at herself, before covering up her mouth with both hands.

"Oh my God." Alex said, looking in shock at Vaas, "Am I going mad...?"

Vaas grinned down her, before taking her head in his hands and bringing her eyes to his. His green eyes clashed to her blue ones as he whispered, "Yes… you're mad. Bonkers. Off your head. But I'll tell you a secret… all the best people are."

She smiled a little, since he had just quoted something from one of her favorite movies and books. "I just…" She sighed, "Gunther… he was the first one to lunge at me… back there in the boat."

"And that's exactly why he here, hermana." Vaas said opening his hands and pointing down at the bucket with Gunther's head. "He didn't respect you, and he tried to fucking rape you. So we're going to have a little fun, no? We're going to do Gunther first, and then Nigel."

He kicked the bucket again and showed Gunther's face and he bent over him, "So, hermano… we going to teach you how to become a real man, no?" He took a pair of pliers from his back pocket and gave it to her. She blinked as she looked up at him before taking it from him and turning to Gunther, who scowled at her.

"Don't you try anything, you fucking shit!" Gunther shouted at her, and Vaas looked up at Alex to see her reaction, and he smiled when he saw her face harden, and her brows furrow in anger.

She opened up the pliers as she bent over Gunther, "Open wide, motherfucker."


	37. Chapter 36: Jose's Captive

"You'd think these fucking rich pricks would learn to floss, eh, hermana?"

She laughed a little at Vaas, who walked with her slowly as they made their way back to his tent, holding the pliers in his hand, which now held a gold molar that she had pulled out of Gunther's mouth. As much as she hated to admit it, it felt good punishing him; after all, he did give her a black eye.

"He probably got that from all that liquor he drank." She said as Vaas continued to peer at the tooth, "Or from all that pussy he ate. He's a fucking philanderer."

Vaas chuckled, "We could get a few grand for this, you know." He said, looking at the tooth again, and she chuckled. "Maybe we should start pulling the gold teeth from the hostages, no?"

"I'm actually surprised you haven't done it yet." She said as they stopped in front of Vaas' hut, and she leaned against the door, before sighing, "Good God… that felt really, really good. I've always wanted to torture that asshole."

"And you did, quite brilliantly, too." He said, pocketing the tooth and the pliers, just as a commotion came from the other side of the camp, and Alex spotted Jose, dragging what looked like a Rakyat warrior. He looked a little worn, and he had a cut just above his eye with dried blood.

"Jose!" She called as he and Vaas rushed forward, and Jose threw the warrior to the ground with a grunt.

"I saw this man scouting outside the camp, boss." Jose said, wincing a bit, "I think he's doing recon for Citra."

"FUCKS!" Vaas shouted in anger, before bending over and punching the Rakyat, "FUCKING! RAKYAT! FUCKS!" The Rakyat warrior grunted as Vaas charged at him and headbutted him a couple of times, causing the man to fall unconscious and his nose to bleed. Vaas straightened, blood painting his face red again, and he whistled to his men. "Get him into one of the cages and clean this fucking shit up!"

The men nodded and dragged the unconscious man to the cages and Vaas went forward and lay a hand on Jose's shoulder, grinning at him, "You did very good, amigo. I am proud of you. Now get fucking cleaned up no?"

Jose smiled at him and at Alex behind him, and the man went off, tugging at his left sleeve. She thought she spotted something under it, but she didn't pay attention to it as Vaas started heading back to his hut.

"Fucking Rakyat…" He muttered as he watched Jose run towards the kitchen, and Alex saw Kidd pat his back in welcome, with the other man congratulating him for his catch.

She leaned back to her position against the door of his hut, "I guess they really want you dead, huh?"

"Si." Vaas said simply looking at the blood on the ground from the warrior, "Citra isn't going to stop until I'm dead, you know. It's either she dies or I do. Winner gets the fucking island." He smirked, "But what she doesn't know is, I already own this island. Fucking bitch."

Alex scoffed, "You sound so sure that you'd win against her, why the sudden burst of confidence, Vaas?"

At this, the pirate grinned at her before coming close in front of her and touching the tips of her nose, "Because I have you now, hermana. I have a great fucking sniper, and a great fucking military man." He said, looking at Kidd, who was talking to Jose as the man got his head cleaned up. "I could pretty much take over the Rakyat with you two with me now."

Alex bit her lip, and looked up at Vaas, "Then why don't you? Take over the whole island, I mean."

Vaas blinked down in surprise at her and she lifted a hand. "Citra is a threat to you. She attacks your men suddenly, and when I was shooting, I saw that her men tried to free your captives. So why don't you just finish it all and just kill her?"

At this, Vaas' face hardened, "Because I want to enjoy the time before I kill her, hermana." She shivered when she saw the hatred in his eyes, "I want her to watch me kill her people, kill her warriors. I want to pull every single fucking tooth in her mouth. I want her to suffer, like I suffered… before I put a bullet through her fucking skull…" He clicked his tongue again as he pointed at his temple, "Like she made me do with my father."


	38. Chapter 37: Concern

After talking to Vaas about his sister, the pirate didn't visit her for a week.

And what was strange is that she found herself getting… well… worried.

With the hostages' money sent off to Hoyt, she had a lot of free time recently, which she used to learn more from Kidd, who had started teaching her to shoot other guns such as handguns, shotguns and AKs. He also started teaching her knife-throwing and CQC with a machete, which scared her a little. Luckily, Kidd was careful, and they didn't have much of an accident.

But the men were still adamant about the victory party for Kidd and Alex, and she had to grin at the men, who seemed excited as they started putting up lights on the clearing. She helped Kidd and the camp's cook, Andre, with food for the men, seeing several bottles of beer and Argentinian wine, which made Kidd slobber a bit, since he loved his beer.

She was helping Andre with the barbeque when Jose came running forward with alarm in his face, "Alex! Alex!" He called out, stopping in front of her, panting.

"What's wrong?" She asked, alarmed at the man's state.

Jose panted again, "It… it's Vaas." She blinked and nodded, pulling on the man's arm to lead her, with Kidd following behind her.

He led her back to Vaas' hut, and from the outside, she could hear the man shouting and cursing. She came forward and grasped the door, but Kidd's hand stopped her.

"Alex, wait…" Kidd said, his face scowling, "I don't think you should go in."

She blinked up at him, and he looked at her worriedly, "I know what he's up to… I've seen it before. It's drugs, Alex. He could be high, and he could be dangerous. He could hurt you… or any of the men."

"And that's more reasons that he has to be stopped." Alex said, pushing Kidd's hands away, "Keep the men away. Tell them to get busy with the preparations, but don't disturb Vaas. I'll keep him locked inside until he's down from his high."

"I agree with Kidd, nona." Jose said, and she looked down at him, "Vaas… he experiments with drugs. I don't know what sort of effect the drugs have on him right now… he keeps testing stuff…"

"I'll be fine." Alex said, putting her brave face on again, making Jose and Kidd blink, "I have to keep him inside… away from all of you."

"And what if he hurts you, baby girl?" Kidd said, looking at her worriedly again, "What if he kills you?"

Alex stared at the older man before her, and she smiled gently before laying a hand on his cheek, "Then you have my permission to avenge me, Kidd."


	39. Chapter 38: The White Wolf Peeks Out

She pushed the door open, and closed it as quickly as she could, before Kidd or Jose could react or comment. She huffed out a breath, before looking around the hut. It was dark, but she could see the outline of Vaas from the cot, and she could hear him groaning. She felt around in her pockets for her small flashlight, and turned it on, seeing Vaas' shirtless beside what looked like a bowl of red-colored pills.

"Vaas." She called out, coming forward the cot, and she blinked when Vaas curled up into a fetal position and whimpered.

"Vaas, what's wrong?" She said, putting a hand on his arm, but she gasped out in shock as Vaas suddenly rounded on her, and clenched both hands around her throat, choking her. She let go of the flashlight as they both fell to the floor, with Vaas above her, trapping her again with his legs.

"Fuck you, Citra!" Vaas shouted at her, and Alex saw that from the light that shone from her light that Vaas' face was contorted in anger, his eyes bloodshot with dark rings under his eyes, his pupils wide that the green color was almost black. "Fuck you, you stupid bitch! I'm going to kill you!"

Vaas growled out in anger, not recognizing her from the drugs' effects, and began slamming her head against the floor. She grunted and whimpered in pain, trying to get Vaas to let go of her, but he wouldn't, his hands still tight around her throat.

"Vaas…" She groaned out as her vision darkened, but she forced her eyes to stay open, "Snap… out of… it…."

"FUCK YOU!" Vaas shouted again as one of his hands turned into a fist and he landed a punch after punch on her stomach, "FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU!"

His hand tightened around her throat again, and she could see Vaas' eyes staring at her, his pupils narrowing and widening. She could see the drugs in his slowly losing their effect, but she was also running low in air. She coughed, and put her hand out… and touched Vaas' face.

"Vaas… it's Alex." She said her voice hoarse, her hand gentle on Vaas' face. At the mention of her name, Vaas blinked, and his grip loosened. She coughed as Vaas finally let go of her, sitting up above her. She pushed him off her, crawling on her hands and knees until she was by the wall opposite him.

The pirate blinked again, looking at her, "Alex…"

She coughed as she massaged her throat, "Yes, Vaas. It's Alex. Alex… not Citra."

"Alexandria…" He said, his Spanish inflection making the 'r' in her name roll and causing an effect on her again. He looked down at her in shock, seeing the dark lines forming on her neck and her pale face as she coughed. "What did I do…?"

"You tried to kill me, that's what you did." She groaned out as she sat up, clutching her neck as Vaas kneeled before her, looking down at his hands. "Vaas… what did you take?"

"Just some… drugs the doctor gave me." Vaas said, still staring at his hands, "I… don't know… but I saw Citra… she was laughing… at me. I… tried to kill her…" He looked up at her again, shock still present at his face, "I tried to kill her… but it was you, wasn't it?"

She nodded, and she blinked in surprise as Vaas doubled over, his head on his hands, "I'm sorry…" He started mumbling out, and she watched as he started crying. "I'm sorry… I thought I… Citra… she…."

Vaas groaned out a sob, and all the fear in her at seeing a crazy drugged out Vaas disappeared, and she rushed forward, putting her arms around his shoulders as he huddled over and laid his head at her lap, "It's okay, Vaas. I'm fine now…"

"Fucking Citra…" Vaas muttered as he cried like a child in her lap, "I'll fucking kill her… I swear… I'll…"

Alex ran a comforting hand down his back, "I know. We'll get her someday, Vaas. I promise."

Vaas groaned out again as his arms wrapped around her tightly, "I'm sorry… I didn't mean to hurt you… I'm sorry…"

She couldn't help but be surprised. Vaas was _apologizing, _which she had to admit, she's never heard from him before, even from the men. The effect of the drugs must've been really potent to turn a hard-ass like Vaas into a bumbling man on her lap, but she was relieved that at least it wasn't something fatal. She sighed in relief, as Vaas melted, lying down on the floor with his head on her lap, his cries slowly stopping, but he was still breathing pretty heavily.

Alex ran a hand down his head, touching the roughness of his shorn hair, her fingers tracing the scar that marred him from his left eyebrow to the side of his head. Her touch seemed to have calmed him down, and he sighed heavily. "That doctor makes the weirdest shit."

She chuckled a little as Vaas held on to her pants, rubbing her leg through the fabric. "You didn't ask him what its effects were?"

"He said that it'll show us our worst memory." Vaas muttered, his eyes still closed, "I thought I could handle it… you know… I thought I got over it."

She sighed, as she continued to stroke his head, "They're just memories, Vaas."

He sighed again, "I know, bella. I guess I got too much shit in my head."

"Is this going to be a frequent thing, Vaas?" She asked, "Is this going to happen often? You taking drugs and being unpredictable and wanting to murder people?"

"My men know enough to stay away from me whenever that happens." Vaas muttered again, "I guess you're not used to it. Yeah, it's going to be frequent."

She nodded slowly, "Okay. I won't argue with you on that. I'll be sure to stay away when it happens again."

"Don't stay away." Vaas said, and she looked down at him, "Stay a little far off, but don't stay away. Stay where you can hear me, where you can listen to me. So you can stop me, whenever you have the chance."

She scoffed, "You want me to stay close when you're high and murderous? I'm sorry, Vaas, but I value my own life, too."

"I'm sorry I hurt you." Vaas whispered, and Alex noticed that his voice was getting quieter. "But you… you calm me down, mi corazon. Your voice… your touch… it calms me. You're the only one… who can stop me."

"Alright… I'll do what you say, Vaas." She said, and Vaas shifted in her lap, "Can you sing for me, Alex?"

She blinked and looked down at the pirate, "What would you want me to sing, Vaas?"

"Anything." Vaas answered, his voice a mere whisper, and Alex sighed before singing, her high voice filling the hut, and the pirate listened to her.

Vaas exhaled out loud, and Alex continued to stroke his head as she sang. Pretty soon, his light snores filled the hut. She had to smile to herself, seeing the pirate lord looking peaceful as he slept, the lines of anger and rage devoid from his face. He was rather handsome looking when he was asleep, and it delighted her that his snores were, at least, not that loud. She continued to smile as she stroked his head, the man enjoying the sensation, snuggling deeper into her lap.

Vaas cried on her lap, and even apologized to her. It was very unusual to the pirate, but it was like her mother had said. The black wolf in Vaas dominated his character… it shaped him and molded him to what he is right now.

But she was glad that Vaas' white wolf was still in him… and that he fed him a little today.


	40. Chapter 39: Conversations in the Dark

"Ahhh, hermana… that's so fucking stupid of him!"

Alex laughed a little in the dark, lying on her left side in Vaas' hut. The pirate lord had awakened after five hours of sleeping, only to see that it was dark outside already. He lit an oil lamp to bring some light into the tent, and when he saw the marks he made on Alex's neck, he even went as far as rubbing some medicine on it and covering it up with a bandage. He then pulled her towards the cot, where they lay down face to face, talking to each other for almost an hour.

"Yeah, it was stupid of him." Alex replied, thinking about Kidd, "But at least he scared the man straight… he stopped calling or stalking me on my way to work."

"He must not like your fucking admirers, then." Vaas said from in front of her, grinning.

"Actually, sometimes I feel like the men who court me actually had to court Kidd, too. Which is too bad since he actually has very high standards." Alex said, grinning back at him, "I imagine he's doing it for my father."

Vaas looked at her, "How many boyfriends have you had, Alexandria?"

She shivered lightly again at Vaas' use of her real name. "Five. All of them scared shitless by Kidd." Vaas laughed, "Which is fine by me. I never really loved any of them."

"You never been in love?" Vaas asked, and she shook her head, "Nope. Not once. I thought I felt something for the men who tried to come into my life, but in the end, it was just either pity or lust… but no love." She smiled up at him, "What about you? I imagine with all the girls you capture on the island, you'd be able to fall in love with one of them."

Vaas scoffed, "They're all a bunch of pussies, hermana. Throw a snake into their cage and they're all going fucking insane. Hoyt's clients want them though. So I give them to him. Or sometimes they all act like they're hard, but they end up dead the next day for pushing their mouth too much."

She nodded, "That reminds me… Vaas, did you buy me from Hoyt?"

The pirate blinked as he looked down at her, "Yeah, I did."

"Why?"

He sighed as he rolled his eyes, "It wasn't my decision, it was my men's. They got too fucking attached to you, no? They say, 'No woman dared to teach us. They're all scared shitless at us that they never bothered getting to know us. She was brave and taught us to read….' Blah… blah… blah. I told them, Hoyt was going to sell you, and they all got fucked at me. So I tell them, 'You want her? Then you fucking buy her.' And the men, they pooled together no? Made three million to pay for you. But it wasn't enough, so I gave them four million more. They told Hoyt, 'We want her to stay' and gave him the money, so he said, 'okay'." He grinned at her, "So you might as well thank me and my men, hermana. If it weren't for us, you'd be a fucking whore somewhere."

Alex looked at Vaas, and saw the smug look on his face. He was kind of right… if he and the others hadn't bought her, even if Hoyt bought Kidd, she would be on some weird place being a drugged out prostitute. She sighed before reaching up to Vaas' face, pulled her face towards his, kissing him in the mouth. She heard Vaas draw in a breath in surprise, as she ran her tongue against his lip. When she separated, Vaas' eyes were dark with lust. "Thank you, Vaas."

He groaned as he reached out and pulled her against him, putting his face against her neck, his hand running from her thigh up to her butt, "I wanna fuck you so much right now, you know?"

But Alex laughed and pushed against him as she sat at the edge of the bed, "Sorry, but not right now, we have a party to attend to."

Vaas muttered out, "Fuck.", making her laugh, as she stood up and went for the door, "Ey! Hermana, wait!"

She turned around to see Vaas pull a box out from under his bed, before he stood up and gave it to her. "Here. A little something for the special occasion. I bought it myself."

Alex raised an eyebrow up the pirate lord, opened the box, her eyebrow rising. She turned her shocked eyes up on Vaas, who was smirking down at her. "Vaas, you'd better be fucking kidding me."


	41. Chapter 40: Seduction

Alex snarled again as she reached back and pulled at her underwear underneath the black, skin-tight leather cat suit she was wearing. She couldn't help but mutter curses at the pirate lord, who now sat in front of the stage, watching the men as they drank and danced with prostitutes they hired from a place in the island called 'Badtown'.

She looked down at herself and huffed, thinking of how ridiculous she probably looked. The cat suit was very tight fitting, hugging her curves. It zipped up all the way to her neck, hiding her switch blade and luckily, the front was an empire cut, so that the suit revealed part of her shoulders, her upper back and her arms. With the leather practically trapping up all the warmth on her skin, she put up her hair in a bun and stuck sticks of bamboo to keep them up. The boots that was included with the suit reached up to her knees, and she was able to sheath her old combat knife in it, and was flat, which is a great relief to her, since she hated heels.

Vaas also returned her pistols, and even gave her a brand new sniper rifle. Her pistols were holstered at her lower back, and she kept the sniper in Vaas' hut for the meantime.

"Woooow… lookin' hot there, nona!" She looked up and saw Jose, grinning like an idiot at her, holding a bottle of wine and a beer. She huffed again and took the bottle of wine the man offered her.

"Oh shut up, Jose." She growled out, tipping the wine back so she could drink, her throat being soothed by the wine's slight chill, "This isn't my idea. It was Vaas."

The man shrugged before looking down at her, "Well, he picks really nice outfits for you, nona. That's for sure." He raised an eyebrow at her, "But isn't it a little… warm in there?"

She groaned, "Yeah, a little bit…"

"Now isn't that a sight for sore eyes."

Alex turned around to see Kidd grinning down at her, and she smacked the older man's arm, "You shut up too, Kidd."

Kidd laughed, "Damn, girl! You look like a model for them fetish porn magazines." Jose raised an eyebrow, apparently not knowing what a 'fetish magazine' is, and making Alex blush. "All you need is a leather jacket and a motor bike and you can go along with my old bike club."

Alex smacked Kidd's arm again, making the older man laugh, before she pointed up at Vaas, "It was his idea, not mine."

"Well, he knows how to pick an outfit, that's for sure. You were always hiding behind those long skirts and cardigans." Kidd said as he took a swig of his beer as Alex snorted, "Yeah, right." She said, looking at the pirate lord as his eyes wandered the floor. "It's either that or he has a leather fetish."

"Yup. He probably does." Kidd set aside his beer as he grinned down at her, "You know, I haven't given you the spinneroony since you were a kid. Care to dance with an old fart, Alex?"

She blinked down at Kidd's pre-offered hand, and she took it, waving goodbye to a grinning Jose, and she dragged the old man to the edge of the dance floor. Kidd was old, so his dance moves were a little old-fashioned and silly, but Alex simply laughed and danced silly with him, some of the pirates joining them in dancing.

But when the music turned to some slower and had more bass, Kidd backed out, his old bones already protesting, muttering out 'I'm too old for this shit' and making her laugh until her stomach hurt. She ended being alone in the dance floor, with the men dancing with the women. She looked up at Vaas, who was still sitting in his throne, but was now looking at her, her silvery blond hair making her stand out amidst the people.

His gaze remained intense as she stared back at him, and she saw the flames of lust in his gaze, making her blush. He was sitting on his throne, leaning back, his one hand under his chin… his lips biting a bit on his finger, his green eyes staring at her.

Finally, she smiled, biting her lip a little, and Vaas' eyes widened. She raised a hand and curled a finger, beckoning at him. The pirate's gaze got hotter as she danced by herself in the middle of the floor, one hand on her hips as she rolled them. Vaas continued to watch her as her hand moved, running up her thigh to her stomach, and up to her breast and to her hair. As she beckoned to him again, curling her finger to a 'come-hither' motion, she licked her lips as she stared right in his eyes. The pirate lord blinked before jumping off his throne and down the stage.

She grinned to herself as she walked backward, still beckoning at him, her hips swinging. She saw Vaas run a hand at his lips and chin as he stalked towards her, salivating at her sensual dance, and she bit her lip again. She could feel something growling in her, a primitive animal, a creature that wanted Vaas. She couldn't help but think of the two wolves again, and she thought that she fed her white wolf all her life, and that it was okay to feed her black wolf sometimes.

Especially if the black wolf in her wanted Vaas.

The pirate lord continued to follow her as she sashayed her way to his hut, moving with the music, until she was inside the hut. Vaas closed the hut's door, and for good measure, he made the effort to chain it closed from the inside, making her shiver in anticipation. She continued her journey to the inside of the hut, where she remembered there was a pole.

Vaas followed her, circling around her as she got to the pole, and she raised a foot up to his shoulder. The pirate looked down at her foot, his eyes widening at her legs' flexibility, his gaze traveling up her calves and to her thighs, and Alex pushed him, so that he sat down the cot.

Alex bent down at him, bringing her face to his, and Vaas surged forward to kiss her, but she covered his mouth. "It's my turn, Vaas."

"Your turn for what, Alexandria?" Vaas whispered hoarsely, his tongue snaking out and licking her palm.

A shiver ran down her spine, but teasing the pirate lord was way too much fun. She felt like a wanton… a sex goddess from the way the pirate lord was looking at her, and she liked it. The creature inside her growled in lust again, as she bent over his ear.

"I… am going to break you." She whispered, her breath warm against his ear, and he groaned. "I will break your bravery into pieces. And I am going to make you want me."


	42. Chapter 41: The Black Wolf Dances

Vaas leaned back as Alex separated from him, her hands grasping the pole in the middle of the room. She couldn't help but smile at the heat of Vaas' gaze, as she swung her hips as slowly and as sensually as she could.

Vaas couldn't help but swallow as he watched her, her back arching against the pole in the most flexible way he had seen. She was looking at him, her ocean blue eyes turning violet against the minimal light of the hut, her gaze hot and seductive. The music from the party fueled her body, its bass and instruments willing her to move. She was seducing him, he knew, and he was seduced... heart, soul and especially body.

Alex raised her foot and laid it on Vaas' shoulder, and she nodded a little at her boot. Vaas continued to stare at her as his hands went up and touched her thigh through the leather. She bit her lip again, and his hands moved up to her calves to unzip her boot and remove it. She raised her other leg, and he did the same, removing the garment, but her eyes widened when he placed an open mouthed kiss on her ankle. She kicked him lightly, separating him from her leg, and she smiled seductively at him, before wagging a finger.

Vaas smiled back, biting his lip, his gaze roving down her body as she gyrated against the pole, the leather suit hugging every indentation on her body. She raised an arm and pulled at the sticks that held her hair, making it cascade down her back and breast, before bending backward, wrapping her leg around the pole. She flung herself forward again and looked at Vaas, sauntering up to him as he raised his hands to her waist.

She grinned evilly as she ran a hand up the side of his face, before she pulled at his hair backward, causing him to flinch and seethe. But she climbed his lap as she pulled, her legs spread on either side of his hips, and she bent down, licking Vaas's clavicle up to his neck and ear, earning a groan from him. She followed it up by grinding her hips against his with the beat of the music, and she felt his hardness against the fabric of his pants and her leather suit. The feel of him hard against her thrilled her, and she pulled his face towards her neck. Vaas seemed to get the idea as his mouth opened, his teeth catching the zipper that ran down her front, and she bent backward as his teeth pulled it down, until her head was practically by the floor, her hair pooling at his feet. He blinked when he saw the switch blade on her cleavage, and she felt his smile, before he took the knife in his teeth and threw it away.

Vaas abruptly pulled her upwards, her hair flying like a cloud, until they were face to face. He was breathing heavily, his breath warm against her neck, and he licked her neck. She reached back, pulling at his shirt, and he pushed the front of her suit away from her and removing her strapless bra, before embracing her hotly, her bare chest making contact with the warmth of his. Vaas groaned at the contact, and Alex captured his head with both of her hands, turning his head up as she licked her way from his neck, down to his muscled shoulder, and to his chest, where she licked his nipple.

He moaned out loud at the contact as her other hand travelled down his defined abdominals, and rubbing his cock through his pants. Vaas closed his eyes, and she licked his ear as she rubbed him.

"Tell me…" She whispered against his ear, and he moaned, "Tell me you want me, Vaas…"

The pirate moaned out, recognizing the very words he spoke to her from before, and the feel of her hand on him drove him nuts, "I want you, Alexandria."

Alex smiled a little as Vaas' hands grasped her butt, and pulling the pants of her catsuit off, showing the red underwear she wore underneath. He growled at the sight of her white long legs against the redness of her panties, and she smirked, "That's it… tell me to fuck you, Vaas."

She made the 's' in his name slither longer in her tongue, a snake-like sound, and it thrilled the pirate, "Fuck me, Alexandria."

She smirked evilly as she pushed him, making him lie down on the cot with her above him, as her fingers went down his buckle, and he watched her as she slowly removed it.

She loved seeing him coming undone under her, his groans and whimpers of mercy as she pleasured him made her ride him harder every time, the pirate lord groaning loudly. She grinned to herself as Vaas kept arching against her, thrusting under her. She kept control of everything, not letting the pirate do anything, making him frustrated and agitated, but the pleasure she gave him made him weaken, and he let her do everything her way, all through the night.

The black wolf inside her couldn't get enough, and it seemed that the same was happening to him, too. He was weak, almost pitiful, under her control… and she couldn't help but smirk.

Looks like she broke Vaas, as he did with her.


	43. Chapter 42: The Morning After

Alex grinned as she continued to watch Vaas sleep, snoring lightly on her cot, face down against the pillow, drooling a little bit, one arm around her stomach, the other dangling down the side of the bed. Every part of her body felt weak, the muscles on her thighs and hips hurting like crazy, but seeing the pirate tired on her bed, sleeping peacefully, made her think that it was all worth it.

She had lost count on how many times they did the deed throughout the night, but she was sure of one thing… the pirate can't seem to get enough of her. He took her over and over again, each time his hold on her tightening that bruises began to blossom from her hips, her shoulders and her thighs. She could see the marks her fingernails had left on his back, and there were bite marks on both their shoulders where they had bitten each other through the night.

She took him roughly, and he enjoyed it very much that even when she removed his arm to stand up from the bed, the pirate didn't seem to stir, continuing to snore on her pillow. She grinned to herself, before wincing as she put on her clothes again, her muscles screaming as she put on the leather cat suit and boots again.

She was able to unlock the door of the hut after she found the keys in Vaas' pockets, and she stepped out. The clearing was still a bit of a mess, with some pirates sleeping on the ground, and the scent of beer, liquor, barbeque and sex filled the air. As she took a look around, she even found a few pirates naked, sleeping with prostitutes on crates, and she shook her head. Good thing she was able to drag Vaas away. That kind of display would've scandalized the hell out of her.

"Morning, Ms. Alex!"

She turned around to see Antonio, who was grinning at her, with a bloodied lip. He ran to her as she stood in the middle of the clearing looking around. "We throw quite the party, no?"

She laughed, "Yeah, you do. Sorry I missed half of it."

Antonio gave her a knowing smile, before shaking his head, "Yeah, well… I know you had your own celebrations with Vaas." He shrugged, "Anyway, Andre said there's breakfast and coffee for everyone."

At the mentioned of breakfast, Alex's stomach rumbled loudly, making Antonio blink and laugh out loud. "Yep. That's a sign." She chuckled as she touched her stomach, "Let's go have breakfast."

Antonio grinned and nodded, and they made their way to the kitchen, where Andre the cook, set her up with a large plate of eggs, bacon, rice, mushrooms and coffee. She ate and rank with Antonio, talking about some of the men, and pretty soon some of her 'students' came over and talked with them, joking around with her and laughing at what had happened to Antonio, who apparently had a brawl with one of the men over a prostitute.

She looked around, trying to find Jose and Kidd, but knowing Kidd; she thought that the older man might be drunk. He drinks heavily when he's given the opportunity, causing her to take care of him when he's too drunk to change his shirt or make his way to the bathroom to puke. But plenty of men around the camp were probably just as drunk as he was, so she stopped worrying.

"Ey! Jose! Come on and have breakfast, man!"

She looked up to see Jose, smiling tiredly as he went into the mess hut where she and Antonio were eating. Something about the man's demeanor was strange, his eyes darting to each of the men, and he kept touching his left arm. He plopped down in front of her with a small plate of food and coffee, before looking up at Antonio.

"Ey, Tonio… two of your pits got loose last night, man." Jose said, sipping his coffee, "One of the men must've let them out… you know, made them fight last night."

Antonio sighed, "Fuckers, I told them that they're not supposed to be for fighting." He patted Alex's shoulder, causing her to wince a little, since it still hurt from all her… activities last night. "Be back in a bit, Miss Alex."

She smiled up at Antonio as the other man left, and Jose started eating his breakfast in small bites. Her eyes furrowed with worry, as she reached over and put a hand gently on his forehead, causing the pirate to blink up at her in surprise, "Jose? Are you okay? Do you feel sick?"

Jose smiled a little at her, "I'm fine, nona. I'm just a little tired, that's all." He took her wrist and pulled it away.

"Has Vaas been over working you?" She asked, concern creeping in her tone, "Do you want me to talk to him? Give you some slack?"

Jose looked up at her, staring at her face, his expression almost like that of pity, before smiling at her, "No, really. I'm fine. But I was wondering… can I talk to you, Miss Alex? In private?"

Alex blinked, "Sure, Jose. We can talk right now, if you want."

"No, not here." Jose said, "I don't want the other men to hear. Are you done with your breakfast?"

She nodded and pushed off her chair, and Jose mirrored her action, and he led her out of the hut, and into the edge of the clearing, away from the men and the huts, almost into the forest. Alex walked slowly with Jose, the soldier's hands in his pockets and looking down at the ground, making him look forlorn.


	44. Chapter 43: The Truth About Jose

"What's the matter, Jose?" Alex said worriedly. She couldn't help but be worried about the man, after all, he was the first person in the camp she considered her friend. Sure, Kidd told her not to trust him, but it was almost like she pitied him, since he was an underdog among Vaas' men.

Jose huffed before straightening and looking at her, "Miss Alex, I don't think you belong here."

She blinked, surprised at the man's actions. "Why do you say that, Jose?"

He seemed to smile uneasily, "I mean… look at you, Miss Alex! You're kind, and gentle… you worry about the men and helped them so much by teaching them. You saved them when the Rakyat attacked. You're… too good and merciful to be with these men."

"I can be ruthless, too, Jose." She answered back, "I tortured Gunther, and I killed several Rakyats. I threatened a hostage to give up his information…"

"But it made you sick." Jose replied, looking at her with pity, "I saw you after the Rakyat attack. It made you sick and you threw up. These men, nona… they don't deserve you. They don't deserve your kindness."

Alex huffed, "That's like saying you don't deserve everything I've taught you, Jose."

The man blinked in surprise, "It's… ugh… I know. I thank you, for everything you did… really. But…" He sighed and looked up at her with serious eyes, "You don't belong here, nona. You don't belong here with these men. Why do you even stay here?"

"Because I'd be dead if it weren't for them." She said, sighing, "Jose… these men bought me from Hoyt. He was going to sell me off when I was done getting the money from the captives. Vaas and the men pooled their money to make sure that doesn't happen. I owe them my life."

"Is that why you've stayed, because you 'owe' them your life?" Jose asked, looking slightly frustrated.

Alex grew silent, watching him, and Jose let out a frustrated breath, "You sound just like Kidd."

She blinked and looked up at him, "What do you mean?"

"He said the same damn thing!" Jose said loudly, throwing up his arms in frustration, " 'I owe them my life! They're good fellas! I like fighting alongside them!'" He said, sounding like Kidd. "As if Vaas is that fucking merciful that he wouldn't kill you. If you weren't so smart, nona, or if Kidd wasn't as great as he is, or if Hoyt didn't give a fuck about the two of you, both of you would've been dead."

Jose was right. If she hadn't been so smart and have the skills of hacking at people's accounts, she would've been dead at that moment Vaas pointed the gun at her when she was caged. She sighed, before rubbing the bridge of her nose, and looking at Jose.

"I know. I know that Vaas would've killed me. But Jose, he didn't kill me, and I know I owe my lives to these men. I am alive, and I am making a small difference to them. Even if it's something as teaching them to read or… or prays for their souls or keeping Vaas calm enough not to kill you all, I am making a difference. And that is good enough for me."

Jose huffed out again, "What do you see in them, Miss Alex? I mean really. I've been with them for years, and you act like you know them, but you don't… they're ruthless killers."

Alex sighed, before crossing her arms and turning her back at Jose, and she bit her lip, "When I was young… my mother told me a story… about two wolves." She took a deep breath and waited for Jose to answer. When the pirate remained quiet, she continued, "She said that one wolf was black as night, and represented all the evils of man. The other wolf was white as snow, and he represents the good in us. The two wolves fight each other every day inside every one… inside you, and inside me… inside Vaas… inside all of the men. And the wolf you feed is the one who wins…"

She heard Jose exhale, "Why are you telling me this, nona?"

"I believe all the men in there… they act like they had their black wolves rule over them." She said, "But I believe they still have their white wolves. And I… I want to make sure that they feed their white wolf from time to time. Why do you think you guys care about each other? Why do you think they cheer on you when you do something good? I know you still care about Antonio and Kidd. And that is a form of love."

She heard Jose sigh again, and she asked him, "Are you married, Jose?"

"Yes." She heard the pirate answer.

"Where is she now?"

"In a town here on the island, the Amanaki."

"Do you love her?"

"That doesn't… yes."

"And is she the reason why you work for Vaas?"

"I… yes."

"You see? Even you have a white wolf inside you." She turned around to see Jose with his hands on his back looking at the ground, "You feed your black wolf when you're with Vaas, but when you go home, your white wolf appears and your black wolf quiets down. The men do it, too. Even… even Vaas."

Jose looked up at her, and scowled, "I doubt that Vaas has a white wolf in him, nona."

"He does… but his black wolf dominates him sometimes. Why do you think he allowed you all to keep me instead of selling me for profit to Hoyt? It's because even though he acts like it, he cares for his men… and he gives them what they want. He was proud of you when you got that Rakyat warrior, wasn't he?"

At the mention of the warrior, Jose's face fell and he looked at her guiltily, "I didn't capture that Rakyat. I just made it look like it."

Alex blinked at him, looking at him in surprise, as Jose lifted up his sleeve, showing an intricate web of tattoos. As she looked at it, Jose smiled proudly at her, "They're Rakyat tattoos. I was… captured by a Rakyat warrior during the raid, and they took me to their leader, Citra… Vaas' sister."

She blinked when she heard Citra's name, and realized that he had taken her away from the camp, where very few of Vaas' men could see her. She looked at Jose in shock, "Jose, what are you doing?"

The pirate lowered his sleeve again, before stepping forward suddenly, hugging her. "I'm feeding my white wolf, Miss Alex."

She was about to push Jose off, but there was a pain in her neck, making her cringe. Her eyelids fluttered closed, and she could see the sky darkening. She forced her eyes to look up at Jose, who seemed to be smiling apologetically at her, before her vision blurred and everything turned black. She could feel her muscles weakening, and she thought of the very last person she needed.

"Vaas…"


	45. Chapter 44: The Plot

_Vaas…_

Vaas snorted awake, his neck hurting as he raised it, and he groaned as he flopped back down on his pillow. His arm felt for the woman beside him, but he blinked and turned, seeing that the woman wasn't there.

"Vaas! You in there?" He heard Antonio call from outside.

"Shut up, motherfucker!" He couldn't help but shout back to his man. His muscles were a little sore, and his hips hurt like hell, but he forced himself to roll over and sit up from the bed. "What the fuck do you want?!"

"Is Alex there? I thought she'd be with you."

"I don't know where the fuck she is." He answered back as he stood up, putting on his boxers and pants again, as he looked around for his belt. "She wasn't with you?"

"I sat with her for breakfast, but I thought she'd come back here with you." He heard Antonio say from outside, as he buckled his belt and his holsters again, before putting on his boots. He lifted up his shirt and headed out the door, opening it to see Antonio standing, looking slightly confused.

"Isn't she with that fucker, Kidd?" Vaas said as he looked around, seeing his camp still disheveled, and putting on his shirt. "Why hasn't anyone cleaned up the fucking place?"

Antonio shrugged, "Andre said he got some men to do it." He walked with the pirate lord as he walked over to the kitchen, lighting up a cigarette that he got from his pocket. "Jose came by when we were talking. He said a couple of my pits got out, that somebody let them out to fight."

Vaas huffed as he entered the mess, seeing Andre, and grabbing a tray of food from the man, "That's fucking impossible. I already ordered everyone that the pits are not for fucking fighting."

"I know." Antonio said as Vaas plopped down a chair and started eating breakfast, "But when I looked at the cages, all of the pits were there."

Vaas blinked, his spoonful of eggs half-way to his mouth, looking at the man, "Jose told you that?"

"Yeah…" Antonio said, and Vaas suddenly stood up, forgetting his breakfast, and started walking outside and around the camp. He quickened his stride as the pirate lord began sprinting around the camp. "Where the fuck is Kidd?"

"I haven't seen him…"

"ALEX!" Vaas started shouting, his voice going around the camp as they ran, "AAAALLLEEEEXXXXX!"

"VAAS!"

He turned around to see Carlos running to him, panting, "What's the matter, amigo?"

"The merchandise…. And the Rakyat warrior… they're gone!" Carlos said, before raising a lock to him, "Look at this."

Vaas took the lock, looking at it carefully, his brows furrowed. He inspected the lock, seeing no scratches on them and he cursed, "FUCK! Somebody opened it for them!"

He growled as he thought. Kidd, Alex, the Rakyat warrior and the merchandise were gone, and so is Jose. He bet that the Rakyat had convinced Jose to work with them to free the captives and take Kidd and Alex. He grit his teeth as he marched back to his hut, shouting orders to his men.

"LOOK ALIVE, MOTHERFUCKERS!" He shouted, waking his men out of their drunken stupor, "WE'RE GOING TO HAVE SOME FUN! GEAR UP!"

His men stood up and shook their drunkenness away, and Vaas headed inside his hut, taking his pistols and his knife. He looked down and saw Alex's switch blade on the bed, and the sniper rifle he gave her, and he felt his chest tighten. He snarled as he grabbed the knife and the rifle and heading back outside, heading for the pit bull enclosure. Antonio came up beside him, and he grabbed him and put the sniper rifle in his arms.

"You hold this for me, hermano. We're going to get Alex back. She's going to need this."

"Do you even know where they are?" Antonio asked, but Vaas merely bent over a dog… Beef, and gave him Alex's knife to smell it.

"That's it; take a good long whiff, amigo." Vaas muttered as the dog sniffed hard at the knife, "You got it, no? You smell her?" The dog let out a long howl and started struggling against the enclosure. "Then go find her for me, fucker!"

The dog ran out in a burst of speed, and the men headed towards the trucks, with Vaas leading them, "KEEP UP, MOTHERFUCKERS! RUN! RUN! RUN! RUN!"


	46. Chapter 45: Citra

Alex groaned, her head throbbing like crazy, but somebody was nudging her, calling out to her. She opened her eyes to see everything spinning, and she shut her eyes and groaned again.

"Take your time, baby girl." She heard someone speak. Kidd. "Take your time, that medicine packs a wallop, doesn't it?"

"Kidd?" She muttered, before opening her eyes again and willing herself to sit up, "What are you… doing here? Where are we?"

"I don't know kiddo." Kidd answered back, helping her to sit up and he rubbed her face. Her eyes finally focused on him, and she sighed in relief to see him unscathed. "That fucker… Jose. He injected me with the same thing. I've had hangovers worse than that shit, but it was still unpleasant."

Her vision stopped spinning and she looked around, feeling a sense of déjà vu, when she found herself in a bamboo cage again with Kidd. But at least she wasn't bound or gagged.

The place wasn't like Vaas' camp; in fact she gazed in wonder of it all. Their cage was situated in front of a temple, slightly being taken over by nature, but it was still pretty beautiful amidst the light of the torches. It was high, several feet high with a long stair leading straight up to the inside of the temple. Men with dark skin coloring, black hair, intricate tattoos and jeans walked around the camp, looking at them with indifference, holding small caliber weapons and rifles. Alex watched as a woman came out of the temple, going down the temple's high stairs, being followed by two men.

The woman looked… amazing. She wore a short skirt and a halter top, beaded to extravagance. She wore several bracelets and necklaces, and had various tribal tattoos on her shoulder, left hip and left leg. She had bright green eyes… Vaas-like eyes, and her rounded face was beautiful. Her hair was long and braided, but it was shorn on the sides like a Mohawk… similar to Vaas.

"You're Citra." She said, and the woman blinked, before looking down at her.

"And you are Alex." The woman said, her deep voice possessing an accent distinctly different from Vaas', "My men tell me of you. The sniper. Vaas' woman."

"I am nobody's woman." Alex said, looking bravely back at her, but Citra merely smiled.

"No. You are Vaas' woman." Citra insisted, "He paid for you. That makes you his." She began going around their cage, watching them, "I can feel my brother's essence on you. He has touched you."

Alex shivered, and scowled. "So what if he does?"

But Citra merely smiled, making her shiver. "Vaas touches a lot of women. From Badtown. From his captives. But I sense something different about you. A darkness… being outshone by a light." She brought her form closer to the cage, peering at her, as if she was trying to read her soul. "Vaas values you? I cannot understand why, but I will find out."

"What're you going do to us?" Kidd asked standing up beside her, and Citra looked at him.

"You are Kidd. The teacher." She almost purred, looking at the man's arms and grizzled appearance, "They say you are strong. Powerful. A worthy warrior." She reached out a hand and beckoned to him seductively, "Fight for me, warrior. And I will give you everything you ever wanted."

Alex blinked at Citra, before looking up at Kidd. The older man looked… tempted, as his gaze lingered on the woman's breast and her short skirt, so she nudged him on the ribs hard. Kidd let out a huff of air, looking down at her, and she scowled in reprimand. He coughed, and scowled at Citra. "No, thank you, woman. I'm sticking' right here with my kiddo."

A flare of anger entered Citra's beautiful features, and she snarled at the two of them, "You think Vaas will save you? You are nothing to him. You are flesh he could sell. Flesh that he could use and dispose of." She looked at Alex, and she shivered, "You must not owe allegiance to him. Can you not see? He knows no mercy. He will kill you both. You are nothing to him."

"If we truly mean nothing then he wouldn't have bought us. He wouldn't have allowed Hoyt to purchase Kidd, and he wouldn't have used his own money to buy me." Alex said, looking back at her.

Citra stayed silent, looking at her, and her green eyes widened, "You think there is still good in Vaas, and you wish to save him."

Alex's face turned red as Citra laughed, "That is ridiculous! There is no good in Vaas left, Alex. Yet you act like you could dig him out of the darkness."

At this Alex bristled, "There is light AND darkness in everyone, Citra. At least I know that Vaas has too much darkness in his heart." She smirked as she looked at the woman, "But you… you hide your darkness behind your light… acting like it's not even there… tricking these people into thinking that you are that magnificent."

Citra stopped laughing, her green eyes flaring in anger as she looked at Alex, "I shall restore the Rakyat to its full glory."

"At the cost of blood." Alex said, walking nearer to Citra with the cage between them, "How many of your men have died in the hands of the pirates or of Hoyt's privateers? Didn't you even think about that, Citra? You tell your men… your children… to raid Vaas' pirates, and yet you cannot see that the people you're sending are heading into certain death. You send in these men, telling them to prove their worth… against a monster you yourself had created."

Citra snarled and lashed out a hand into the cage, wrapping her hand around Alex's neck, pulling her towards him. Alex remained glaring at her, her gaze unflinching. Vaas choked her plenty of times, and each time she resisted him. With Citra, it was easy as pie.

"You… know nothing of us." Citra seethed at her, her breath against her cheek, but Alex remained staring her down. She smirked, and Citra blinked in surprise at her lack of fear, letting go of her neck.

"Oh, believe me. I know plenty of you, Citra." Alex said, and she held the other woman's gaze, "And I know for a fact that for every man Vaas and his men lose, your Rakyat warriors lose three. Is that restoring the Rakyat? By sending them to their death to your brother? That is not leadership, Citra. That is murder."

Citra growled and reached out to her, but Alex sidestepped her arm, and grasped it, twisting it and making the other woman cry out in pain. Alex pulled, bringing Citra's face closer to her despite the cage, and she smirked evilly at her.

"You'd better be careful…_hermana._" Alex said, and Citra blinked, "Don't you fucking think that I am afraid of you, because I'm not. Your brother taught me better than that. So… get the fuck away from us. Before I shoot you…" She put a finger on her temple, and clucked her tongue, and Citra's eyes widened, as she recognized it as something Vaas usually did. "And stick your head into a fucking pole."

She let go of Citra's arm, and the woman scampered backwards, staring at her, and Alex smirked when she saw a hint of fear in the woman's eyes. Citra moved back into her temple with her guards, and Alex blew out a sigh of relief, and Kidd let out a loud guffaw before patting her hard on her back.

"Goddamn, girl. Looks like Vaas' influence is rubbing off on you." The elder man said, grinning at her.

"Yeah, well… I hope his influence on me isn't going to get us killed." She said, sighing, "It seems like crazy runs in family."

"You damn right." Kidd said, looking around them, "But at least they didn't chain us."

"I don't like this at all, Kidd." She admitted, before sitting down on the ground, and hugging her knees, "I don't think Vaas is going to get us out of this."

Kidd huffed out a breath, "You'd be surprised, kid… that guy is capable of anything."

"CITRA!"

Alex's head rose at the sound of the voice, before standing up from her seat on the ground again. Kidd stood up beside her and grinned. "See? Told you he's capable of anything."


	47. Chapter 46: I Am You, You Are Me

Vaas came out from the darkness, holding his pistol in one hand and a knife in the other, his arms open in challenge. Two guards blocked him, raising their pistols at him, but he merely dodged them, his knife glinting at the torchlight, and the two men fell dead at his feet. He grinned at the scent of blood and looked up the temple again, "CITRA! WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU, YOU LITTLE BITCH?!"

Alex watched Citra came out of the temple from the top of the stairs again, her green eyes blinking at the sight of Vaas before her. "Brother." She muttered, before a look of hatred crossed her features, "You are a fool to come here… all because of a woman."

"Ah, shut the fuck up." Vaas said, opening his arms up at her. "I'm here. I'm back. So shut the fuck up and let go of them."

But Citra merely glared down at him, "You've killed too many of my people. I will not negotiate with you."

Vaas laughed, "Oh, so… you're bargaining with me now? Oh, okay… I can do that." He stepped back into the darkness and pulled something… or rather… somebody up, and Alex blinked to find Jose, bound with ropes and tape on his mouth. "How about you let go of my old fart and my _mujer, _no? Or I kill myself and your little Rakyat warrior here."

He bent over Jose and pulled at his hair, positioning his knife under the man's neck, while putting the pistol against his temple. Blood trickled down his neck as Jose winced, and Citra's eyes widened in shock. "No!"

Vaas grinned evilly, "So… you'll let them go now? Or do I have to spill this fucker's blood on the ground?"

She could see Citra gritting her teeth, but she waved a hand, and two guards went to their cage, opening it. They grabbed both Kidd and Alex and shoved them towards Vaas. The pirate lord shoved Jose towards Citra, who scrambled off towards the top of the stairs to her. The woman bent over him and helped him off the ropes. Vaas reached to his side, capturing Alex, and Kidd stood behind him.

"Alexandria…" Vaas muttered, and Alex put her arms around his waist, "Vaas. Don't do this."

"Kidd." Vaas whispered instead and the older man drew closer to hear him, "Get back into the forest. Now."

Kidd nodded, and turned, heading out back into the darkness. The other guards pointed at him, but Citra waved a hand, and the guards let him go. Citra glared down at Vaas and Alex as Jose stood up, rubbing his neck, smearing the blood on it, and looking down at Alex. She watched as Citra looked with hate at her brother, before smirking and making her way back to Jose.

"My warrior…" Citra crooned, running her hand up Jose's chest seductively, and he looked at her. "This is your chance. Vaas stands here for you to fight. Kill him, and restore the honor of the Rakyat."

At this, Vaas smirked and brought Alex behind him, "Are you enjoying my sister's company, Jose? Huh?" He mocked him, putting his fingers on his head like horns and swaying side to side, "She's going to make a warrior out of you. You're so fucked, Jose."

At his taunting, Jose's face hardened, and he seized his knife, walking down toward the pirate lord. Vaas grinned in delight, pushing Alex to the side. She clung to his arm, but Vaas slapped her arm away, and shoved her. Citra's warriors formed a circle around them, and one of the soldiers grabbed her arm to keep her away from the fight.

"It's just so bad that my sister had to ink you up." Vaas said, looking a little annoyed at Jose as the other man circled him, "Because now the only way to kill you is to erase you completely. I am so DISAPPOINTED! You showed so much PROMISE, Jose, so much FUCKING PROMISE. Now here you are, trapped in the boxes of life like a fucking rat."

"Shut up!" Jose shouted at him as he lunged, and Vaas captured his arm, his fists flying and connecting with the other man's face, making him sprawl onto the dirt, holding his broken nose.

"But the thing is, I did not bring you here." Vaas continued as he Jose rose up to his feet again, seething at the pirate lord. Vaas slowly began moving in a circle, taunting the Rakyat, stalking him with a murderous look in his eyes. "You walked in here by your own goddamn self! And that's what Citra does to you, right? She turns you fuckers into rats and now I have to deal with the rodent problem! But that's what brother's are good for, right?!"

Vaas laughed out loud, looking at Citra, before flipping her the finger, causing the woman to scowl and Jose to yell in rage. He charged at Vaas again with his knife, and Vaas sidestepped him again, punching him in the gut, before elbowing his face, and making him drop to the ground. Vaas ran a hand through his head as he separated from Jose, looking frustrated.

"Jose, look at you." Vaas said, pointing at him with rage and disappointed on his face, "I mean look at you! Stupid motherfucking Rakyat boy. You come here in MY fucking jungle and you think you're a fucking warrior?! You think you know what it takes to fucking kill?!" He stood up straight and beckoned at Jose, "Come on, motherfucker! End it! Kill me!"

Jose lunged again, and Alex gasped as his knife buried into Vaas' shoulder. But Vaas merely grinned, and stabbed down, burying his knife into the top of Jose's arm, it's point poking underneath it on the other side. The other man yelled in pain, before collapsing into the ground and Vaas followed up on his attack by trapping his arms and headbutting him several times, Jose's blood coloring his face red. He let go of Jose when the other man was dizzy and no longer resisting, and he pulled on his shirt to bring his face towards him.

"The thing you don't understand, hermano…" Vaas seethed, but he was looking sternly at Jose, like he was teaching him a valuable lesson. "I am YOU. YOU are ME. Citra is going to turn you into ME. And then she'll fuck you… and then she'll kill you. She'll fuck you to create the 'perfect Rakyat warrior', and then she'll kill you because you're a threat to her rule. Why do you think she's after me, hermano? Huh? Do you understand why I left the Rakyat now, motherfucker?"

Jose looked up at Vaas, a little in disbelief, before looking up at Citra, "Is this true? Is he telling the truth, Citra?"

The woman stared down at Jose, "Everything must be done to restore the Rakyat. Everything."

Jose's eyes blinked in shock, and he became limp. Vaas let go of him, standing over him, and looking up at Citra. He grinned at her, and reached up, pulling the knife off his shoulder and raising it up to Citra.

"Now it's your turn, bitch." He smirked, before stepping towards the stairs to Rakyat leader.


	48. Chapter 47: The White Wolf Emerges

That's when all hell broke loose.

Gunshots fired from the darkness, hitting the Rakyat warriors that had charged towards Vaas. The soldier who held her fell down dead, and she was surprised when a sniper rifle… her sniper rifle, was thrown out to by her feet. She looked up to see Antonio grinning in the darkness, and she seized her rifle as Kidd came up behind her, now holding his AK. Carlos and the cook, Andre, burst out from the forest, charging the surprised Rakyat warriors and shooting at them.

"Get the ones behind her, I'll cover you!" Kidd said, shooting at the Rakyats. She took the sniper and peeped through the scope, seeing the two Rakyat warriors guarding Citra. She took careful aim and pulled the trigger, hitting one soldier through the stomach, and the other through the head, shocking Citra.

Through her scope, she saw Vaas getting nearer to Citra, and the Rakyat woman pulled out her dagger. She blinked, before discarding her rifle, and running up the stairs. "ALEX!" She heard Kidd shout, but she was already sprinting, trying to get to Vaas.

She wrapped her hand around Vaas's wrist, stopping him, just as he was a few yards away from Citra. He looked down at her in anger, not recognizing her due to his rage, but he blinked when he saw it was her. "Alex?"

"Vaas, don't." She whispered, a little breathless since the stairs were steep, "Don't kill her, Vaas."

Fury entered Vaas' face again, and he clutched at her neck, "Why the fuck not, Alex? She made me suffer. She kidnapped you. She wanted to FUCKING kill me! Why the fuck shouldn't I kill her?"

"Because she is your sister!" Alex said, and she reached out a hand to Vaas' face. The pirate blinked at her touch, "You might not like her. But she's your sister. She's your blood. She's your family."

Vaas scowled down at her, "I want to fucking kill her."

"It doesn't have to be that way." Alex said again, and she coughed out a little as Vaas' grip tightened. "You can drive her away from the island. Send her off to Hoyt. Sell her. But don't kill her."

The pirate lord scowled at her, and she reached out and touched his face again with her hand, making his eyes close and his grip loosen. Alex took in a deep breath as Vaas' head bent down, and his other hand kept her hand to his face, burying his cheek into the palm of her hand. She blinked when a drop of water seemed to hit her cheek, and she looked up, just when another drop fell from the sky. Rain started falling down on them, drenching every one of them. She looked down to see that Vaas' men now held the rest of the Rakyat warriors captive, tying up their backs. She looked down at Vaas, as he continued to hold her hand, and when he raised his head, she thought she saw him crying, but she wasn't so sure because of the rain.

"I want to kill her. I want to end it." Vaas said, and she blinked. He had the same helpless look he had during his drugged out hallucination. And her heart twisted in his pain. She reached out and held him, wrapping her arms tight around his neck, and he buried his head on her shoulder, breathing the scent of flowers and rain on her skin.

"Only you can end it, Vaas." She whispered, and Vaas groaned, "You can bury this hate. You can bury the fear. Only you can make it disappear from your head, Vaas. You can do it. I know you can. Feed your white wolf… just this once."

She heard Vaas draw in a breath, and exhaling, his body relaxing as he held her tight. He drew in a deep breath again and muttered, "I am not used to this kind of shit. I'm not used to feeding my white wolf."

She chuckled, "I know, Vaas. I know. Shh… just breathe."

He took a deep breath again and sighed, holding her, and in the rain she felt his lips on her neck, licking her skin. "Is this what it feels like, Alexandria?"

She blinked as Vaas' arms tightened around her, molding her body to his, "What?"

"Is this what it's like to fall in love…?" Vaas asked and she blinked, her heart thumping loudly at her chest, "Is this what it's like? You do what your fucking loved one tells you to do, even though you don't want to do it… but you'll do it anyway?"

She smiled to herself, "I think so, Vaas. I killed and tortured to make you happy, didn't I? Although, at first it was because I wanted to survive."

Vaas huffed, before chuckling, "Fucked up world we live in, no?"

She laughed a little, "Yes. Yes, it is, Vaas."


	49. Chapter 48: The Black Wolf Rages

Vaas laughed a little, his head looking up, but suddenly he twisted, and Alex shrieked a little. She found her footing just as Vaas seemed to slump against her as they kneeled to the ground. She looked up to see a look of surprise on Vaas' face… before seeing what looked like a silver dagger on his back. She lowered Vaas and looked up just to see Citra, her beautiful face twisted in anger, her hands like claws to catch Alex in the neck.

On instinct, she twisted, pulling at the combat knife she had kept on her boot. Citra's eyes widened at the sight of her knife, but her forward momentum had made it too late for her to back up. Alex pushed up from the ground and stabbed the knife upward, getting Citra on the stomach. The Rakyat woman's eyes widened in surprise, and Alex felt something growling within her. She roared loudly at Citra, pushing the woman a little, before pulling out her knife and stabbing her again, before pushing her off. Citra fell to the ground with a wet thud, the temple turning red from her blood.

"Alexandria…"

Vaas' eyes blinked against the rain, and Alex turned to him. She ran as she inhaled and she held him in her arms, shielding him with her hair. He looked up at her, his eyes disoriented, and he raised his hand to touch her face. "No… no, no, no, no…. please…. Vaas, stay with me."

He looked up at her, and he reached out a hand to touch her face. His fingers caressed her cheek, and she held on to him, the rain trickling down her forehead and face. She could feel her eyes stinging, and she breathed deeply, her breath getting caught in her throat. She looked down at Vaas to see the pirate smiling.

"There it is…" He whispered as he smiled gently, his skin wrinkling around his eyes and cheeks again in that breathtaking way that made him look handsome. Alex sniffed as she tightened her grip around his fingers. "What is, Vaas?"

Vaas grinned, looking very happy and pleased, but without the fury she had known to associate him with, "There it is. The fear. The tears."

Alex huffed out a breath. She was indeed crying, and she couldn't hide it anymore. All throughout her ordeal in the island, she tried to be brave. And although she tried not to fall for the pirate, his ruthlessness, his unpredictability and humor made her fall madly… crazily… and stupidly in love with him.

"I'm not crying." She said, grinning down at the pirate lord, even though tears were falling down her eyes with the rain.

Vaas chuckled a little, "You… keep putting on… that brave face… hermana."

Vaas grunted in pain, and Alex looked up to see Antonio and Carlos, bringing up what looked like a make shift stretcher. "Hang on, Vaas. They're coming for you. Don't you fucking die on me, you hear?"

The pirate grinned, but his eyes became unfocused and sad as he raised his hand again, running his fingers through her hair and caressing her cheek. "At least…" he whispered, "I got to see you… one last time…"

Alex blinked, looking up in surprise at the pirate. Vaas's eyes widened a little, before they rolled towards the back of his head, and his breathing slowed.

She grit her teeth, the tears flowing much faster now. Fear gripped at her stomach and chest, making hard for her to breathe, and she whimpered. She slapped his cold face, which added to her panic. "NO! YOU FUCK! YOU WON'T FUCKING DIE ON ME!" She yelled out, as Antonio and Carlos came to her side, "FUCK YOU, VAAS! WAKE UP! WAKE THE FUCK UP!"

"Baby girl, come on…" Kidd whispered as he pulled her up, holding her arms as she struggled. Carlos began administering CPR as some of Vaas' other men carried their leader onto the stretcher. Alex seemed to snarl at the men as they took Vaas away, and she struggled against Kidd's arms.

"YOU FUCKS BETTER KEEP HIM ALIVE!" Alex screamed at them, and Kidd blinked in shock at her. "IF I DON'T FIND HIM ALIVE WHEN I COME BACK TO THE CAMP, I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU ALL, DO YOU HEAR ME?!"

Tears were streaming down her face, but her anger was surfacing, emerging from her, eating her. She growled again as she looked down at Citra, and she struggled hard against Kidd, causing the older man to let go of her. The Rakyat woman was still alive, but she was holding on to her bleeding stomach. Alex roared in anger as she bent over the woman, her ocean blue eyes wide with rage. Citra looked up in fear at her, her green eyes wide, and Alex roared out again as she flung her head back… and head butted Citra.

Kidd watched as Alex lost all control and began headbutting the Rakyat woman, crushing the latter's nose and painting her beautiful face red. Her mouth was curved into a furious snarl, her ocean blue eyes wide as she battered the other woman. Even as Citra fell unconscious, Alex kept head butting her, and he got worried as he pulled her off the Rakyat woman, but she continued to struggle, her voice growing hoarse from shouting insults as Citra.

"Baby girl, calm down!" Kidd shouted back as the rain and her constant struggling made it hard to keep her from moving.

"Kidd, he can't fucking die, you hear me?!" Alex said, her anger now directed toward the other man, "You have to help him, don't let him fucking die… please…"

"Alex!" Kidd shouted at her, and she stilled, looking up the older man, but the redness of her eyes and of her nose melted him, and he put his arms around her, hugging her tight. "Keep it together, baby girl… come on…"

Alex's shouting quieted down to hysterical sobbing as she weakened, falling to her knees, and Kidd slid down with her as her arms wrapped around him, her face buried in her shoulder. The cold rain and the warmth of her tears mixed on his neck, and he held her tighter as she sobbed.

For all his years of taking care of her, for all those years since her parents died, she never cried like that. Even though he only took care of her after her parent's death, something about the way she cried in his arms tore at him. It was horrible, like her cries were tearing at his heart too. _So this must be what it feels like_, Kidd thought as he shut his eyes and let Alex sob in his shoulder,_ This is what it's like to hold a crying daughter. Please, God… for what it's worth, save Vaas. Because I can't bear to hear her cry like this._


	50. Chapter 49: The Truth About Her

His back and his shoulder fucking hurt, but he knew it was a good pain. It meant that he was alive.

Vaas groaned out in pain as he slowly woke up, his vision still blurry from sleep. He could see the inside of his hut… his pants in the corner, his closet, and a familiar man sitting beside him. His whole body hurt, actually. But he liked it. He liked the pain.

"Good to see you awake, Vaas." A familiar gruff voice sounded from beside him, "You have no idea how worried we have been."

His vision cleared to the sight of Kidd, grinning at him as he sat beside his bed. He groaned out, "I just came back from the dead, and the first fucking thing I see is you. I'm sure I've gone to hell."

Kidd chuckled, "Don't be like that. I could think of a worse hell to be in."

"What could be worse than waking up to see your fucking face, motherfucker?" He muttered out.

"Well, you could be in a room full of Citras, for one." Kidd chuckled again, "Or you could be somewhere with no beer, no food, no drugs and no fuckers to kill."

"Yeah. That is definitely hell." Vaas groaned out as he looked at the man, "What the fuck happened?"

Kidd shrugged, "Well, you died… so to speak." Vaas blinked up in surprise to him, "But Carlos and Antonio… they brought you back by doing CPR. Luckily, we had a surgeon among the captives, and we forced him to stitch you up. Alex was able to get his money before we fucking killed him."

"The captives?" Vaas asked, confused, "I thought they got away?"

Kidd grinned at him, "You've been out for a week, Vaas. Alex thought you'd never recover. We were able to round them up while you were out. All of them are back in their nice little cages and waiting for your return."

"Yeah, yeah… that's great, motherfucker." He looked around him to notice that he was on the far side of his bed, near the wall, and that there was a space beside him for someone to sleep on. "Where's Alex?"

Kidd waved a hand as he took a cigarette from his pocket and lit one up. At the sight of the cigarette, Vaas' mouth watered. The older man saw the hunger in his eyes, and he grinned as he put the lit cigarette to Vaas' mouth. The pirate drew in a deep drag, coughing a bit from his withdrawal of the smoke, causing him to flinch in pain. Kidd chuckled as he got a new stick for himself, "Oh… she's somewhere." Kidd leaned over to him, looking serious. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about her when you wake up."

"I just woke up, motherfucker." Vaas groaned out as he drew in his cigarette again, "Can't this fucking wait until I'm up on my feet?"

"Sorry, kid, but no." The older man said gruffly, "I want to know what you plan for Alex. Are you still planning on keeping her here? Or are you going to kill her the first chance you get?"

Vaas looked up at the man, glaring at him, before he finally sighed. "Yes. She's here to stay."

Kidd looked at him… stared at him, really, his dark brown eyes boring into him. It made him a little uncomfortable, and he growled out, "The fuck are you staring at, motherfucker?"

But the older man grinned, "Nothing. I just remembered something about Alex. You know, for all her talk about white and black wolves, she is actually pretty right. Her black wolf came out fully when you got hurt, you know."

"Really now?" Vaas asked as he looked at the man.

"Yeah, she did. She was hell personified when they took you away. I haven't seen her like that since… well… since I found her with her dead parents."

The pirate lord looked up at the man, confused, "What do you mean? I thought she blacked out when her parents got killed?"

Kidd nodded, "Yeah, she did. But not before she shot the fucker that killed her parents." Kidd huffed as Vaas blinked in shock at him, "Emptied the fucking cartridge on the guy, she did. She was so fucking enraged… it was like a monster came out of her, you know? I got there in time to see her hammering the gun into the man's skull. Brutal, really. Brains splattered all over the living room. I pulled her out of the carnage, and when I calmed her down some, she blacked out. Lack of oxygen from screaming or something. When she grew up, she didn't have a tantrum like that anymore. She grew up normally, began to be a good kid. Pretty soon, I just realized that she didn't remember her rampage anymore. So we didn't talk about it much and I told her a lie about the man being arrested and dying on a prison brawl."

Vaas looked back up at the ceiling, thinking about what the man said. _There is a white wolf and a black wolf inside us… and they fight every day,_ she had said. Just as he had fed the black wolf inside him, she fed her white wolf too, but her black wolf was there, hidden, prowling… that the moment he got hurt, it came out, wrecking havoc. They were polar opposites of each other, and for some reason that attracted him to her even more.

It made him… _love_ he, even more.

"Anyway, Alex is out and about for now, if you're wondering. She won't be back for a few days. She told me that the three of us… Antonio, Carlos and I, that is… will be taking of you for the meantime. She's tired out, you know. She's been taking care of you and sleeping beside you since that doctor was done with you."

Vaas blinked as he looked up at the man, "Alex has been looking out for me?"

"Yup. And did a fine job of it, too. A few more days and you're good to go." Kidd said as he stood up, and held out his hand for Vaas' cigarette butt. He gave it to the man, who nodded at him. "You hang on tight. Andre said he got breakfast for you."

Vaas watched as the older men shuffled off out of the tent, throwing their cigarette butts away. He groaned as he tried to push himself up, but the pain on his back was horrible, so he sank back to his pillow with a groan. He stared up at the ceiling for a while, before reaching out an arm, grasping at the pillow beside him. He put it to his face and sniffed, smelling the scent of Alex on the pillow. He groaned as he hugged the pillow, hoping to hold her instead.


	51. Chapter 50: The Rakyat Leader

Pretty soon, Vaas was able to sit up and walk around the hut, although he hadn't travelled outside the hut yet. His men took care of him and helped him, and he hadn't seen Alex yet. He seethed inside when they told him she was busy, and he yearned to see her again.

He tried asking Antonio and Carlos about where the woman is, but they keep evading the question. He began to get royally pissed off, shouting at them, cursing at them, but they merely shrugged his threats away. And so he seethed as he mended, doing his best to get better.

He was finally able to walk by himself after a few days, although the others cautioned him not to move very much due to his wounds. When he came out of the hut, he tried looking for her, but she wasn't in the camp. His anger led him to killing some of his rejects, using a pistol as recommended by Kidd to not strain his back if he dared to use his knife.

Two weeks later, Vaas was sitting by his hut, smoking a joint, when Carlos came forward looking a little grim. "Vaas…" he said, "We have a visitor."

Vaas groaned, "Who the fuck is it?"

Carlos frowned, "The new Rakyat leader."

He blinked, surprised, and he seethed as he slowly stood up, "When the fuck did the Rakyat get a new leader?!"

The other man shrugged, and pointed to the other side of the camp, where they kept the captives, "I don't know, but they are by the cages."

Vaas growled, unholstering his pistol and striding towards the cages, pissed off and angry. The Rakyat had a new fucking leader. When the fuck did that happen?

As Vaas and Carlos neared the cages, he saw a person… veiled in white, his back to him, talking to two Rakyat soldiers. He raised his pistol and shouted, "YOU'D BETTER GIVE ME A GOOD FUCKING REASON NOT TO FUCKING SHOOT, HERMA…."

But the person in white turned around and smiled at him, familiar ocean blue eyes wrinkling in mirth. He blinked and slowly lowered his gun in shock.

It was Alex.

She waved the two Rakyat away, and they obeyed her, before she walked forward slowly to Vaas. She wore a long, leather skirt with a slit in front, showing off her leg, and a matching halter top that was beaded with various stones, gems and shells. Her silver blond hair was unbound, being covered with the white veil that flowed down her back. Tattoos of intricate designs adorned her arm from the shoulder to the wrist, as well as on her muscled stomach and slim leg. However, her face remained unchanged.

Alex smiled at him, before bending on a knee and looking up at him, "Warrior Vaas… we have come to pledge our allegiance."

Vaas blinked as he looked down at her, before looking behind him at Carlos. The other man had a dorky grin on his face as he looked down at Alex, but when he looked up at Vaas, he moved away from them, chuckling, leaving Vaas and Alex alone.

He looked down at her, scowling, "What the fuck does this mean, hermana?"

Alex stood up, her smile fading and looking seriously at Vaas, "The Rakyats saw what happened in the temple. The people renounced Citra's claim to the tribe, and they called her attack on you as cowardly and undeserving of a true Rakyat warrior." Her lip lifted in a small smirk, "When I stopped you… and when I stabbed Citra… the people thought that even though I was a foreigner, I was a true Rakyat warrior… merciful, kind, beautiful…" She rolled her eyes at the compliment, "… but ruthless enough to kill my enemies. So they elected me to be their leader."

Vaas blinked as he looked at her in shock, and she shook her head, "The Rakyat believed that for a person to ascend to the throne, they must defeat the former leader. That was why Citra killed your mother and father. Since I defeated Citra, I am now the Rakyat priestess. The reason I've been gone for so long is because I've been studying the Rakyat ways and religions. The tribe has been teaching me."

He continued to stare at her silently, and she continued, a professional air around her. It was one of the differences he had noticed. While Citra used her sexuality to get what she wanted, Alex used her calm and logic. "I've reached a consensus with the Rakyats. We've all agreed to… come up with a peace treaty. Between us… the Rakyat, Hoyt's men… and your camp."

He crossed his arms, and Alex's eyes watched as the muscles in his arms bulged, and he grinned to himself. She wanted him… he could see it in her face, and by the gods, he wanted her too. But seeing her as the Rakyat leader made him intrigued, "What does this fucking peace treaty say, perra?"

"Well, for one thing, we agreed that you leave the Rakyat alone." She said, and he bristled, "We will allow your men to do their business, while we do ours. We will not attack or kill your men, and you and Hoyt do the same with my Rakyats." She started walking around, "We have also agreed on a economic treaty… that we will help you with provisions of food or clothing, provided that you pay them properly, and that you provide us with arms and ammunitions if the case is needed. My Rakyat warriors will train with you, and if they decide to, they can fight with you… provided that they help the tribe when need for aid comes."

"And what if my captives escape, hermana?" Vaas scowled at her, "What if my fucking captives escape and they find you, huh? Are you going to let them go?"

Alex was silent as she thought, "We can give them temporary food and shelter, but that's it. If they want to find a way out of the island, they find out how to do so themselves." She shrugged, "By then, you'd probably be able to catch them."

Vaas watched her, thinking about her conditions, and he waved a hand, "There are still a lot of holes in your preposition, hermana, you know? You want to discuss this… back in my hut?"

She grinned, before biting her lip seductively. Vaas felt the tingle of want through his spine, and he felt his blood rush to his crotch. She was still so damned sexy. "That would be a good idea, Vaas."

Vaas grinned at her, the skin around his eyes and lips wrinkling again, making her eyes grow wide with lust, as he extended a hand to point her towards the direction of the hut. But as Alex passed by him, the scent of flowers trailing behind her, he growled and pounced at her, wrapping his arms around her waist and dragging her away into the forest. Alex laughed as he dragged her away towards the direction of what she remembered as the waterfall.

And they obviously never made it to the hut.


	52. Chapter 51: Afterglow

"Oh, I almost forgot… I have a gift for you."

Vaas looked down at Alex, her naked form lying beside him by the waterfall. They went at it for hours it seemed, and Vaas still couldn't get enough of her. She was like an addiction to him, far worse than any drug he had ever taken, that each time he'd have her, he felt like he couldn't let go of her. He was exhausted beyond description, but at the sight of her beautiful face resting on his chest, smirking at him, he had to bite his teeth to stop himself from kissing her again.

"A gift? For what?" He said as Alex sat up, her wet hair flowing down her back, and she stood up, grabbing her clothes again. He rested both of his hands under his head as he watched her.

"A peace offering, so to speak." She said, smiling at him as she tied her halter top and her skirt again, slipping her black panties on. "It's back in the camp, but you… distracted me from making my offering."

He chuckled, as Alex finished dressing and held out a hand, "Come on, up and at 'em."

Vaas groaned but he took her hand and pulled himself up, capturing her in his arms as she giggled. He playfully bit her back, making her shriek, before putting on his clothes. Alex watched him as he put his things on, biting her lip. And he smirked at her, "You keep fucking biting your lip like that, hermana, and I'm going to fuck you all over again."

Alex laughed before standing close to him, and she grinned as she reached down and touched his crotch, making him blink. But he was too exhausted that even though he was turned on by her touch, his body was too tired to 'stand in attention.' She kissed him a little as she patted his cock through his pants, "The big man is tired. So I'll let him rest a little, no?"

She headed to the forest and he grinned as he followed her, walking back towards the camp, "You think it's big eh, hermana?"

Alex laughed, "Yeah, yeah. It's a fucking beast, I know. No need spreading it around."

She looked back at him to see his rather pleased and triumphant grin, and she laughed louder as Vaas stepped beside her. She took a pack of cigarettes from a pocket in her skirt, lighting one up for Vaas and one for herself. The pirate lord blinked at the sight of her smoking, but he took the cigarette and took a deep drag, putting an arm around her shoulders, "Smoking after sex is fucking awesome."

"Yeah, it is, isn't it?" Alex chuckled beside him, "By the way, guess which merchandise we were able to catch outside the temple a few days ago."

"Who, corazon?" Vaas asked, taking a drag again.

"Nigel, Gunther and Craig."

Vaas blinked and looked down at her, "No fucking way!" She grinned and nodded at him, "Motherfucker… and I thought those pendejos wouldn't last long."

"They almost didn't." She said, "They thought they could get shelter with the Rakyat, you know. But when the warriors brought them to me, I told everyone about them. I told them that they were after the _Chaoyang_, and that they rape women, and that they'd steal the island's treasures and take them away to America. The Rakyat didn't like it one bit."

Vaas chuckled, "Yeah, they wouldn't. So what do you plan on doing to them?"

She shrugged, "I actually had them buried to the Head Field." Vaas looked down at her, surprised at her ruthlessness, "I was actually going to ask you what kind of tortures you want to do to them. I had a few ideas in my head, but I think we can do better."

"Hmm… what did you have in mind?"

"I want them sewn ass to mouth… like a human centipede." She said, grinning as Vaas laughed out loud, "What? It's good, isn't it?"

Vaas continued to chuckle, "Yeah, it's good. But they might die too easily, hermana. Then we won't have any fun. How about putting a bowl full of spiders on their heads?"

She pursed her lips as she thought, "It's good, but I don't think it'll terrify Craig much… he's too tough for that." She thought again as they walked, "Electrocution sounds good, too. Nigel screams like a fucking girl."

He laughed, amused at her brutality. She had changed… greatly, and he liked it. She has adapted to him and his penchant for violence. "Ohh… I just have the thing for that, hermana. You can actually tie them to a tree full of ants, too. I know just the place for that."

"Yeah, we could try that, too. We have three hostages. So we got plenty of options."


	53. Chapter 52: The Gift

"I'm siiiiiiingin' in the rain~~ I'm siiiigin' in the rain~~~!"

Alex grinned as she watched Vaas dance around the Head Field, kicking Gunther, Nigel and Craig's face as they protruded from the ground, breaking their noses and making them scream in pain, like Alex DeLarge in Clockwork Orange. She found Vaas amusing since the pirate lord actually had some moves on him, moving through the protruding heads with fashion and flair. She had come to love the pirate despite of his brutality… but then again, it was one of the reasons she _learned_ to love the pirate. He was brutal, violent, unpredictable, hot-headed and cruel, but she found out that underneath his pirate persona, Vaas really cared about his pirates, especially the ones loyal to him like Carlos and Antonio.

"Alright, Fred Astaire. We gotta get a move on." She said, grinning, as Vaas stopped dancing and practically skipped his way towards her.

"Ahh… this makes me so fucking happy, seeing all my pets again." Vaas said as he tapped his foot on Nigel's head as the man whimpered, putting an arm around Alex. "But I'm more interested in your surprise, mi corazon. What do you have for me?"

She grinned as she walked with him towards the doors of one of the shanties, before coming up behind him and jumping on his back. The pirate lord caught her, keeping her on his back and holding her legs with his arms, but he grunted when Alex covered his eyes tightly. "What the fuck, Alex?!" he cried out, but she merely chuckled.

"It's a fucking surprise, Vaas!" She said, grinning at him from behind, "Just walk on forward. I'll take of my hands when we're close."

Alex led him to the inside of the warehouse, and she smiled when she saw Antonio, Carlos and Kidd, their hands on their guns and smiling at them. She made him stop and giggled, "Okay! These are for you, Vaas!"

Alex removed her hands from his eyes and jumped down from him, making him look. His eyes took a while to adjust to the darkness, before an excited grin spread through his face. Inside the warehouse, chained to a couple of poles… were Citra and Jose, their hands and feet tied and their mouths taped. Citra's face was bruised purple, she had a cut on her brow, and her stomach was gauzed from the wound she received in Alex's hands. Jose's eyes could barely open from his bruises, and the tape that covered his nose was red because of his broken nose. The gauze on his arm ran red as well from the stab wound he received from Vaas.

At the sight of his sister and her warrior in his camp, Vaas' eyes widened in disbelief, and he looked up at Alex. "This is for me?"

She nodded, and Vaas laughed out loud before swooping her up in her arms, making her shriek as she wrapped her arms up on his neck. He kissed her hard as he held her tight, and she reciprocated. He separated from her, grinning, "Thank you, mi corazon."

Alex kissed him on the top of his nose, "You're welcome, Vaas." She said, as he put her back on her feet on the ground. She smiled up at him before reaching a hand to Kidd, who grinned at her and reached back to his pocket to give her a pair of pliers.

Vaas grinned in delight when he saw it, and he kissed her on the nose as he took them, letting go of her and looking down in his sister. Citra's eyes widened at the sight of her brothers, her green eyes filled with fear as Vaas grinned down at her.

"Hey, Citra… did you miss me?"


	54. Chapter 53: Happily Ever After

"I like this décor… it's a nice fucking décor."

Alex and Vaas stood arm in arm amidst the poles, looking up the tallest pole in the field, where Citra's decapitated head was stuck in, the blood dried and flies swarming all over the dead woman's face. Citra had died a week after Alex gave her to Vaas, her body slowly succumbing to her brother's various tortures. He made sure that she lasted long, each torture getting worse per day, until Vaas finally let her die a slow and painful death.

In a surprising turn of events, Jose lived, after Vaas let him go after three days of torture. At the end of it all, Jose lost both of his hand's middle fingers, after Vaas had cut them off in retaliation for his betrayal. Alex was surprised when the pirate lord gave the man full pardon, but not before threatening him by making another pole, similar to Citra's and telling him that he was no warrior, and if he ever betrayed them again, he would cut off his head and stick it in the new pole.

When she asked about the sudden act of mercy, Vaas merely scowled at her, saying, "I fed my fucking white wolf today… for the last time."

Both the Rakyat and the pirates flourished under Alex and Vaas' rule. The Rakyat warriors trained with Vaas' men with Kidd's teachings, and Alex taught them in a new school she had built in the Amanaki village. The Rakyats once again increased in population, as Vaas and his men no longer killed the Rakyats. She was strict in allowing only Rakyat boys at the age of eighteen to train with Vaas' troops. The people learned to love their new, 'foreign' leader, mainly because she helped the Rakyat with a sense of calm, intelligence and wisdom that differentiated her from Citra's old religiously-manic-to-the-point-of death rule. No more raids or battles happened between the Rakyat, the pirates and the privateers, but Vaas and Hoyt got an increase of hostages, not just from America, but all over the world now. It delighted the men, since it was Alex who came up with the idea of writing a story about the mysterious Rook Island and inviting travelers and researchers alike to come and visit the 'unknown and uninhibited' island.

"You know… I've been thinking, Vaas." Alex said as she looked up at Citra's head, shielding her eyes from the midday sun, before looking at the furthest edge of the poles, where the now completely dried and decomposed heads of Nigel, Gunther and Craig were. "Don't you think the island getting a little too cramped?"

"What do you mean, Corazon?" Vaas asked as he inhaled some smoke from his joint as he looked at her.

She shrugged, "Well… You know, my Rakyats are multiplying… I had to do The Rite of the Rakyats to twenty children yesterday." She sighed tiredly, "And some of my men are deciding to join up with you. And with pretty much no one dying, your army is getting bigger."

"Ah huh… and… what do you propose?"

Alex grinned up at him, her ocean blue eyes looking in delight at her idea, "Well… I was just thinking… that I think it's time we took over the Southern Island."

Vaas blinked and looked down at her. Her eyebrow was raised and she had a knowing smile, and his heart seemed to burst in delight, getting her idea. He took her head in his hands as he looked at her, "Oh… Alexandria…" He grinned as he grasped her waist, "Looks like your black wolf is winning now, don't you think?"

She laughed out loud, before growling out, capturing Vaas in a passionate kiss as the pirate ran his hands up inside her shirt to the skin on her back. She kissed him hard, jumping at him, and Vaas captured her legs as she wrapped them around his waist, as he walked back toward their hut.

"Vaas… my white wolf is still in there." She whispered as she licked his neck, earning a groan from the pirate, "But being with you makes my black wolf stronger."


	55. Authoress' Notes

**And there you have it…**

**Yeah, I know… I know some of the stuff I wrote seemed very un-Vaas-like (being the crazy homicidal pirate that he is). I think I got the idea that he cared for his men after seeing the scene in the game where he jokingly mock-punched the guy in the nuts, and when he told his men to "back the fuck up" in the Far Cry Experience.**

**As for his fears… well, Vaas may be a crazy, violent pirate, but at the end of the day, he's human. In my head, I think everyone has some sort of fear. Even guys like Vaas.**

**Anyway, what do you guys think? Don't forget to leave a comment/ favorite! **

**I'd like to thank Michael Mando for inspiring the creation of Vaas and being the great actor he is, and the authors/ creators of various dark-themed novels and movies for making me reach inside and commune with my inner white and black wolves. XD**

**BUT WAIT… THERE'S MORE! XD**


	56. Epilogue: The King's Downfall

He was pissed.

Hoyt looked down at the map in his hands, growling when he realized that all his communication towers, his camps and his warehouses in the Southern Islands (except for the one he was in, of course) were all burned to the ground. Five of his transport ships were raided on their trip to ship his merchandise, disappearing into the Pacific Ocean, and he lost contact with all of them. His helicopters were being shot down in the middle of the island, their wrecks almost burning the forest.

He had asked Vaas about it, and the pirate told him that a group of four friends that had landed on the North Island had escaped their camp and headed to the Southern Island by themselves even when they hunted for them, killing some of his men, and some of Alex's Rakyat. The pirate and his now-soon-to-give-birth wife had supplied him with Rakyat warriors and pirates, but Vaas himself cannot visit the island as he was expecting his child. He had sent Kidd instead, his old friend who was now Vaas' right hand man.

But even the former military didn't know what to do with the attacking four men. He came to Hoyt once after battling them, his face wounded and battered, his right arm bandaged after it was shot by one of the attackers. He growled when he said that the four men were witty and quick, outsmarting him and Hoyt's privateers easily. They took their time planning, sometimes spending a few weeks doing surveillance, before attacking the compound.

He growled again before , flinging out an arm, the papers on his table flying everywhere… just an explosion rocked his compound.

He turned his chair around to see one of his transport ships burning, and several shots rending the air. He cursed as he pulled his handgun from his back, and headed out the door, but he stopped when an AK-47's muzzle blocked his door.

"Don't move, motherfucker!" The man yelled, his voice muffled by the black mask he was wearing, and Hoyt blinked as four more people ushered into his office, holding guns of various sizes, wearing black bullet proof vests, black bonnets and dark goggles. He backed up; holding his hands up, as more shots and sounds of pain lingered from his privateers outside.

"Who the fuck are you?!" Hoyt shouted as the five people closed his door and locked it. The man in front pointed at his piece, and he dropped it, kicking it towards one of the men, who looked like a man with a massive beer gut.

The man in front relaxed as the four others kept their guns pointed at Hoyt. But he blinked when the man removed his glasses and bonnet, revealing an easy grin, bright green eyes, and a Mohawk.

"YOU!" Hoy shouted as he growled in anger at the man.

"Peek-a-boo, motherfucker." Vaas said, grinning at his former boss, as he set aside his rifle, taking his pistol in his hand as he walked around Hoyt's table. "I bet you didn't expect me to do this, didn't you?"

"You stupid FUCK!" Hoyt said as Vaas aimed the gun at him, making him walk away from the table, to a small corner of his office, "What the fuck do you think are you doing?"

Vaas waved a hand as he walked over to Hoyt's chair, and Hoyt looked up nervously at the four people that had moved to form a straight line, facing him as the pirate sat down his chair. "I'm going to make you an offer you can't refuse."

"I don't give a FUCK about what you're going to offer!" Hoyt shouted, and the four men raised their weapons again, and he silenced.

Vaas chuckled as he waved a hand on the four people, "Surprising, no? I bet you didn't expect that I'd be making a lot of friends like these. Anyway, about the fucking offer no?" Vaas leaned back on Hoyt's swivel chair, and put his feet up the table, "The thing is, hermano… we found out about a few things about you. You've been cheap with us… you've been earning millions from the captives no? And yet you pay us with fucking loose change." He looked over at Hoyt's decanter of brandy and started putting ice on a glass, "Not to mention you and your privateers are still abusing the Rakyat, despite of the treaty we signed with my wife, no? That's pretty fucking bad, hermano. You know, Alex is really scary when she's fucking pissed. That's why I married her."

"I don't give a FUCK about your FUCKING WHORE OF A WIFE…!" Hoyt yelled, before his leg exploded in pain. One of the men had pressed the trigger and shot him in the leg, and he crumpled to the ground. "Oh you bunch of FUCKERS!"

"Oh… Volker… Volker… what have I ever done to make you treat me so disrespectfully?" A smooth voice emerged from one of the masked men… the one with the round stomach. He removed his mask and goggles, and Hoyt growled when he realized it was a 7-month pregnant Alex.

She smiled as she headed over to where Vaas sat, who was now drinking brandy and smoking a cigar from his own private stash on the table. At Alex's hand on his shoulder, Vaas looked up at her, smirking, before putting an arm around her and kissing her protruding belly under her loose shirt. "See, hermano? I told you she's fucking scary when she's angry."

"What the FUCK do you want?!" Hoyt groaned out in pain as he held on to his bleeding leg.

"It's simple, really." Vaas said as he took a sip of his brandy, "We want you dead. We'll be taking care of the fucking franchise from now on."

Hoyt blinked, and his anger filled him again, "You can't FUCKING kill me! I OWN ALL OF THIS! I have friends in high places… and they wouldn't STAND FOR THIS SHIT!"

But Alex smirked, "On the contrary, Hoyt… your 'friends from high places'? I contacted them all… remember when I was sending you the money from the hostages? Well, I was able to hack information about your 'contacts'." She smiled sweetly at him as Vaas grinned proudly at his wife's intelligence, "We found out that you're overcharging them, so it seems, and providing them with wrong merchandise. Oh and by the way, did you know that the FBI, the KGB and other police forces from the world are looking for you? All of which are offering over 15 million dollars in reward?" She whistled, before grinning down at Vaas, "That's roughly… I don't know… 135 million, isn't it, Vaas?"

"Yes, mi corazon." Vaas answered, smirking at Hoyt.

"Anyway… they're both looking for proof that you're dead. So I think a simple picture would suffice for them."

"If you kill me and the police find out, then all this work will be worth SHIT!" Hoyt answered back, "They'll come after you, hunt you down…"

Alex laughed, "Highly unlikely, Hoyt. Especially since I bought Rook Islands for a grand total of 15 billion dollars." Hoyt blinked in surprise at her, "You have a lot of money, didn't you, Hoyt? It's a good thing really… do you know how many schools, hospitals and housing projects that 15 billion could fund? You made a lot of people and countries very, very happy, Hoyt. It's just too bad that I had transferred all of them to our… numerous accounts."

Hoyt growled again in anger, and he watched as the three other people how held it at gun point removed their masks, revealing who he remembered as the men named Carlos and Antonio, and a grinning Kidd. At the sight of the oldest man, his fury peaked again, "YOU! You fucking TRAITOR!"

But Kidd merely grinned as he pointed his gun at Hoyt again, "Sorry, Kingslayer… I told you I was about the money."

He looked in shock at the three as Alex raised her slim hand, and snapped her fingers. At the command, Kidd and the other two pulled the trigger, shooting at Hoyt in the torso, their gunshots sounding in sync with the gunshots of Vaas' pirates and Alex's Rakyat warriors outside. The man collapsed on the ground, gasping in pain, clutching at the numerous gunshots wounds he received. He coughed, feeling the blood rushing up from his lungs. He heard his chair squeak as Vaas seemed to stand up and the pirate's footsteps as he went to him. Hoyt's eyes watched, his vision dimming, as the pirate smiled down at him, the skin around his eyes and mouth wrinkling, and he thought about the monster he had created in the pirate.

"By the way, Hoyt…" Vaas said as he positioned the barrel of his pistol on Hoyt's forehead, "Did I ever tell you… the definition of insanity?"


End file.
